Diabetes can appear in any age or gender. There are three types, however the third type occurs during pregnancy. The other two are known as type 1 and 2. Type 1 is often referred to as juvenile diabetes, and Type 2 is known as adult onset diabetes.

The signs of diabetes are very similar for both types. They may be a little more difficult to become aware of with type 1, being as this affects the younger ones. They are usually so caught up in life in general they don’t complain about health issues. Of course unless there is pain involved. So it takes careful observation by parents or care givers to notice the early signs of diabetes.

To begin with, the symptoms of diabetes in Type 1 come on over a relatively quick time period. It doesn’t mean you will all of a sudden wake up one day and will show all the symptoms collectively. But you will begin to notice several of these symptoms developing. These are most often the early signs of diabetes.

Symptom 1-Frequent Urination

Children never want to stop what they are doing to go to the bathroom. If you begin to notice they are going more frequently, or for the younger ones are having accidents, then make a mental note of this and watch for other possible signals of the early signs of diabetes..?

Symptom 2-Excessive Thirst

This symptom of diabetes seems to go hand in hand with symptom 1. It will seem like nothing will quench the thirst.

Symptom 3-Weight Loss

This one can be a little deceiving. It can sometimes be the opposite in teens and young adults. They will appear as though they are gaining weight.?

Symptom 4-Weakness and Fatigue

In the children this symptom would probably be the most noticeable. Children are always overflowing with energy. This symptom causes them to slow down. This won’t go unnoticed especially if it is progressively getting worse.

Symptom 5- Tingling in Hands, Legs or feet.

Many people will refer to this as the hand for example has gone to sleep. Children will mention it because they don’t like the sensation.

These are the 5 major signs of diabetes that seem to be identified the quickest. There are other signs as well that you should?be aware of for example, blurred vision, or dry itchy skin,

It the type 2 diabetes, the signs of diabetes may include any of the above, but in addition it may be noted that cuts are taking longer to heal and infect easier. It may also be noticed that the gums have become red, swollen and sensitive.

Everyone knows they should be eating more healthy foods, but for people with diabetes it’s an essential part of proper management. The key to managing diabetes is to make a plan for eating so that you know how much of something you can eat without breaking out of your target range. Here are a few of the essential things to remember while you’re adjusting your eating habits.

First, counting carbs is important for more than just people on low-carb diets. Eating carbs raises the blood glucose, which means that you have to know how much it will raise yours and how much you can eat and maintain good levels. Correct carbohydrate levels will vary for different people, depending on how active the person is, which medications they are taking, etc., but for most people with diabetes it will be somewhere between 45 and 60 grams of carbs per meal. With the help of a doctor or a diabetes educator, you can decide how much is right for you and plan your meals accordingly. The following foods contain a significant number of carbs:

• starches like bread, rice, cereal, crackers, or pasta
• fruit and juice
• dried beans or soy products (this includes tofu and veggie burgers)
• starchy veggies like corn and potatoes
• sweets - candy, cookies, soda, cake, etc.

It’s also a good idea to look at the Glycemic Index, an index that ranks food according to the effect the will have on your blood glucose. It includes factors like how cooking a food will change the GI, etc. You should be choosing foods with a medium or low GI - and then eating small portions of it. A low GI food is not a license to stuff yourself with it, but the GI won’t stop you from doing that if you don’t make sure to set parameters.

Next, remember that the easiest way to change your eating habits is to keep eating what you’re eating - in different proportions. (This applies only if you were actually eating vegetables before. If you weren’t, you’re going to have to make some additions to your diet, which was clearly boring anyway.)

The American Diabetes Association suggests dividing your dinner plate - draw a line down the middle, and then divide one of those sections in half. The biggest section should be the proportion of vegetables, then one of the smaller sections should be carbs and the other should be meat or another protein. Obviously you don’t have to eat half a plate of vegetables at every meal, but using those proportions (instead of spreading the vegetables over the big section and squeezing as many carbs into the small section as possible) will mean your are keeping your food intake where it’s supposed to be. If you add 8oz of milk or a light yogurt, as well as a piece of fruit or half a cup of fruit salad, you’ll have a healthy meal that will help you to stay within your targets.

Finally, it’s important to create a meal plan so that it isn’t a huge process to decide what you’re going to eat every time you do. Talk to your doctor or diabetes educator about what you need to do to create a meal plan that will work for you.

By planning what you will eat and setting goals and targets, you can avoid major fluctuations in your blood glucose and stay healthy for many years to come.

Gestational diabetes is a type of diabetes that develops in pregnant women in 3% of pregnancies. For whatever reason, the blood sugar levels become abnormal during pregnancy due to a mild or sometimes severe carbohydrate intolerance. The potential for fetal and neonatal loss is higher in this category and is therefore an area of great concern. Proper prenatal care allows for many complications to be avoided. Gestational diabetes requires a good amount of medical attention. There may be several doctors involved when dealing with this type of diabetes.

Despite the fact that diabetes will generally clear up in the majority of women after the delivery of the child, it also means that the chance for these women to develop diabetes mellitus within the next 15-20 years increases by 50%.

The risk of complications is high with diabetes in pregnancy. They can include pre-term labor, pregnancy induced hypertension, infections or delivery problems. This makes proper prenatal care a must.

Those at risk for gestational diabetes include women who:

? have had multiple pregnancies

? have had previously unexplained stillbirths

? have given birth to babies 9 lbs or more

? have gained an excessive amount of weight during pregnancy

? come from a high risk ethnic groups such as Hispanic, Native American or African American

? have a previous history of high blood sugar or previous pregnancies with gestational diabetes

? have a family history where their mother or sisters had gestational diabetes

As with other types of diabetes, good control of blood sugar levels are the key to managing gestational diabetes properly. A proper diet and watching weight gain while keeping regular appointments with health care professionals is key to ensuring the baby’s safety during its 9 month gestation period. Most women who actively participate in the proper management of their gestational diabetes go into labor at term and deliver naturally.

That which is affecting the mother during pregnancy will also affect the baby. When blood sugar levels stay above normal, the fetus’ pancreas will in turn put out more of its own insulin to help control its own blood sugar levels. What can happen in these types of incidences is that the insulin will act as a growth hormone and increase the baby’s size. The result is macrosomia, a term that means ‘large body’. This can cause trouble as far as delivery is concerned. These complications can be prevented with proper prenatal care.

Gestational diabetes is a big fear of most pregnant women and it can be less of a problem with the right knowledge. Always keep your weight gain under control and visit your doctor regularly.