Anyone who has the condition known as diabetes has a condition that creates a situation where the conversion of energy from the food they eat is faulty. Glucose is the body’s natural fuel source provided by the food we eat. Diabetes interrupts the transportation of glucose around the body. As more and more glucose remains in the bloodstream blood glucose or blood sugar levels can rise too high.
This condition comes in two forms but only brief details are given here; further information should be sought from a medical professional if you have this condition. In type 1, which is also called juvenile onset diabetes or insulin-dependent where the body completely stops producing any insulin; this means insulin must be given to the diabetic on a daily basis for them to live. The purpose of insulin is to regulate the amount of glucose in our blood. Adult onset diabetes affects older people as the name suggests but differs from type one; it results when the body either cannot produce enough insulin or does not use the insulin it makes properly.
Many of the foods we eat such as bread, potatoes, rice, pasta and fruit are converted into sugar and give us the energy we need to maintain life. High blood glucose levels over a long period of time can cause blindness, heart disease, kidney problems, and amputations. The importance of managing your diabetes condition cannot be underestimated and with a disciplined approached these serious conditions can be improved; these conditions will vary form person to person but most should see improvements with some complaints halted altogether.
Managing your condition means you must take control of certain areas of your life by ensuring you take your medication regularly; but this means sticking to your medication, watching your blood sugar, cholesterol and to stop smoking!
In addition, weight and blood pressure will need to be routinely monitored and kept stable. Diabetes cannot be cured and once diagnosed it is a lifelong complaint; currently approx 2.6 percent of the U.S. population or about 5.5 million Americans, are known to have this health problem.
The problem is that here are probably another 5.5 million people who have this condition but just don’t know it; around 600,000 US citizens contract this condition each year so you can see the problem is serious. It is believed that as many as 320,000 diabetics die each year in America whilst only 34,000 of those actually die directly from the condition itself.