Each year, more and more people are diagnosed with diabetes. According to Rowley et al., “The prevalence of diabetes (type 2 diabetes and type 1 diabetes) will increase by 54% to more than 54.9 million Americans between 2015 and 2030.” This prediction is alarming, so it is crucial that everyone becomes more educated on what diabetes is, the types, the causes, and how to prevent the disease.
What is Diabetes?
Diabetes is a condition that affects how your body turns food into energy. According to the CDC, “If you have diabetes, your body either doesn’t make enough insulin or can’t use the insulin it makes as well as it should. When there isn’t enough insulin or cells stop responding to insulin, too much sugar stays in your bloodstream. Over time, that can lead to serious health problems, such as heart disease, vision loss, and kidney disease.”
Types of Diabetes - Three Main Types
Type 1 Diabetes
Cause: Thought to be caused by an autoimmune reaction (the body attacks itself by mistake) that stops your body from making insulin.
Diagnosis: It’s usually diagnosed in children, teens, and young adults.
Need for Insulin: Individuals diagnosed with type 1 diabetes need to take insulin because their bodies do not produce enough insulin.
Cure: No known cure.
Type 2 Diabetes
Cause:
Two interrelated problems
1. Cells in muscle, fat, and the liver become resistant to insulin. If cells don’t respond normally to insulin, they can’t take in enough sugar from the blood. Consequently, blood sugar levels stay high, and cells starve.
2. At the same time, the pancreas is unable to produce enough insulin to reduce blood sugar to a normal level.
Diagnosis: Usually diagnosed in adults. It often takes years to develop.
Need for Insulin or other medications: While the body still produces insulin, it doesn’t use it properly. If type 2 diabetes is diagnosed early, it can often be treated with oral medications, diet changes, weight loss, and by increasing exercise. Sometimes, an individual will need to take insulin injections if blood sugar cannot be controlled with oral medications.
Cure: No known cure, but eating a healthy diet, losing weight, and getting active can slow or stop the progression of the disease.
Prevention: Insulin resistance is strongly correlated with being overweight, inactive, and eating an unhealthy diet. Leading a healthy lifestyle and visiting your doctor regularly for check-ups can help prevent type 2 diabetes.
Gestational Diabetes
Cause: Direct cause is unknown but being overweight before becoming pregnant may play a role. Additionally, hormonal changes experienced during pregnancy may contribute to the body not being able to properly regulate blood sugar.
Diagnosed: During pregnancy.
Need for Insulin or other medications: Insulin may or may not be required - it depends on the progression or severity. Oral medications may be necessary. Many women can manage their gestational diabetes through diet changes.
Cure: Gestational diabetes often disappears shortly after giving birth. Women with gestational diabetes in one pregnancy have a higher risk of developing it in later pregnancies. There is also an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in life.
Prevention: You may decrease your risk of developing gestational diabetes by eating a healthy diet, getting exercise, being a healthy weight when becoming pregnant, and not gaining more than the recommended amount while pregnant.
Diabetes Prevention
While there is no known cure for diabetes, there are steps you can take to prevent developing the most common type of diabetes, type 2. Type 2 diabetes is largely related to poor lifestyle choices such as eating a diet high in processed and fast foods (high in carbohydrates and sugar), lack of movement, and being overweight. The good news is that these are all things that you have the power to change. Read more in our article, “Is Type 2 Diabetes Curable?” to begin living a healthier life.
Sources:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5278808/
https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/basics/diabetes.html
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/type-2-diabetes/symptoms-causes/syc-20351193
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/gestational-diabetes/symptoms-causes/syc-20355339