Juvenile and Type 1 diabetes are actually the same thing. Juvenile diabetes is the more traditional terminology because in the past it most often showed up in childhood or adolescence. These days, however, more adults are being diagnosed with the condition, so it’s more commonly referred to as Type 1.

Diabetes is a condition in which the body becomes unable to convert sugar, or glucose, in the bloodstream. This is because the pancreas has stopped producing insulin. This means there are excessive amounts of glucose that accumulate in the blood, which can lead to severe health issues. It is a medical condition that more and more people are developing. It is believed that each year, approximately 30,000 people in the US are diagnosed with the disease. Worldwide, that number is over one hundred and twenty million people who are suffering from the condition.

Juvenile diabetes is classified as a chronic condition. It’s a result of the body being unable to correctly deal with the sugar present in the bloodstream. This failure to suitably manage blood sugar can cause problems as your system tries to convert the sugar. This then leads to the inability of your body’s cells to absorb the glucose, so it stays in the blood stream. In most instances, those who suffer from this condition will require a lifetime of insulin injections in order to break down the blood sugar.

Research into juvenile diabetes reveals that this condition is an autoimmune disease, wherein the body turns on itself. For reasons unknown, your immune system starts to attack the very components that are there to protect it. In this case, it is the cells that produce insulin in the pancreas that are the target.

It’s important that you learn what the symptoms of juvenile diabetes are so you can be tested immediately. This is a very dangerous disease if left untreated, and immediate diagnosis and treatment is essential. The usual indicators are excessive thirst and frequent urination. These are symptoms of both juvenile and Type 2, more commonly called adult onset diabetes.

Proper management of the disease involves eliminating sugar from your diet. You will also have to make other changes to your eating habits and overall lifestyle.

Discovering a cure for this disease involves ongoing research. The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation is the leader in this endeavor. It also has a global mandate to assist diabetic persons in learning to manage their disease. As well, the foundation does a great job of raising funds so that research can continue.

Type 2 Diabetes has been on the rise for quite some time. It is now common knowledge that the overall increase in obesity levels in the United Kingdom and the United States have contributed wildly to this statistic that we are faced with. Being grossly overweight has been proven to be one of the key causes to the disease. Recognizing the symptoms of the disease is vital in order to counteract the other complications which can arise due to having diabetes.

Common symptoms include fatigue, caused by your body depriving your cells of the vital sugars they need. This can then lead to excessive urination and thirst due to a massive build up of sugars in the blood stream. Another typical sign is blurred vision and the feeling of being faint or light headed. This again is due to sugar levels in the blood. Increased hunger is also something to be concerned about, a lack of insulin in the body makes it difficult to move sugars into cells and causes the need for extra energy leaving sufferers feeling hungry.

If you are worried that you or someone you know is suffering from any of these symptoms, it is vital that you see your gp as soon as you can. The sooner type 2 diabetes is diagnosed the sooner it can be treated with the correct lifestyle changes and advice from a health practitioner. Fortunately with the right diet diabetes can be kept under control and sufferers can continue to lead a fulfilling life.

Are you thinking that you may have diabetes mellitus? Are you worried that maybe a loved one or a friend may have it? If you are searching for answers, this article should help you in finding the direction in your quest for answers. In this article, I will be giving you an outline of common signs and symptoms that diabetes mellitus may present. It should be noted however, that a person who is living with diabetes may have some of these symptoms, they may have all of these symptoms or they may have no symptoms at all. The only way to really know for sure if a person has diabetes is to go to a physician and have a blood test done.

Signs and Symptoms

When a person has diabetes mellitus, their blood sugar is elevated. The elevated sugar in the bloodstream is what causes the symptoms. The most common symptoms are:

Frequent urge to urinate (Polyuria)

As the body tries to get rid of the extra sugar that is in the blood stream, water is drawn from the tissues and an increased amount of urine is produced. The person may notice that he or she has to get up several times in the night to urinate. If it is a child with this symptom, the child may suddenly starts to wet the bed during the night.

Extreme Thirst (Polydipsia)

The increased thirst is caused by the body’s need to replace the fluids lost through increased urination.

Excessive Hunger (Polyphagia)

The increased hunger is caused by the body’s need for energy because it cannot move the sugar in the bloodstream to the cells of the body where it is needed.

Fatigue, Weakness and Weight Loss

These symptoms occur when the body can neither use the blood sugar for fuel (the blood sugar is not being transported into the cells that need it) nor can the body store the excess sugar that is in the blood stream.

Infections, Slow Healing Of Wounds

The high sugar environment is a perfect breeding ground for bacteria and yeast. A person with a high blood sugar oftentimes develops vaginal infections and urinary tract infections.

Pain, Numbness or Tingling in the Extremities - Trouble Getting and Maintaining an Erection

This is caused by a build up of sugar which damages the nerves and small blood vessels in these areas.

Itchy Skin

Tiny sugar crystals just beneath the surface of the skin causes someone with diabetes to feel itchy.

Vision Changes

Microscopic bleeding in the retina and dehydration causes change in the vision such as blurring of vision.

Dehydration

This occurs when body fluid is lost and is not adequately replaced.

Serious Signs and Symptoms

Serious symptoms of diabetes mellitus include nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, flushed skin and a musty or fruity odour to the breath. These are the symptoms of very high blood sugar. These symptoms are more often seen in someone that has type 1 diabetes. If a person has these symptoms it is very important to contact a doctor right away and be followed up with testing.

Concern about having diabetes can be stressful. Oftentimes a person who is thinking that they may have diabetes is afraid to go to the doctor to get the diagnosis confirmed. It should be noted however that just because a person is diagnosed with diabetes, it doesn’t mean that the person will suffer from poor health for the rest of his or her life. The good news is that a person living with diabetes can live a long and healthy life. This is done by learning how to keep the blood sugar levels within a target range.

If you think that you may have diabetes, make an appointment with your physician to be tested. It is better to know for sure now than to not know and develop complications from untreated diabetes in the future.

Before knowing diabetes, we should have some ideas about insulin and blood glucose.

Insulin is a kind of hormone, secreted by pancreas; which helps reduce our blood glucose level. As soon as we have food, our blood glucose level increases and as our blood glucose level increases, our pancreas secretes this hormone i.e. insulin, which helps normalize and neutralize such high glucose level.

Blood glucose is one of the very essential body nutrients which is responsible for supply of energy and stamina for the proper functioning of the body cells. Blood stream carries the glucose to all our body cells, wherein it gets utilized; however, this glucose cannot enter the cells without the insulin support. In other words, it can be said that insulin works as an aid in transportation of blood glucose to the cells.

So from the above, it can rightly be commented that insulin is a body hormone, which has got a two fold function - on the one hand, it works as a blood glucose neutralizer and on the other, it facilitates it’s smooth carriage to the cells.

Diabetes is a kind of metabolic disease, which can be characterized by increased level of blood sugar / glucose, resulting from defects and anomalies in the process of insulin secretion by pancreas or by the incapacity of the cells to utilize insulin effectively.

Generally speaking, diabetes can broadly be categorized under two heads, i.e. type 1 and type 2.

Type 1 diabetes is also famously known as insulin-dependent diabetes - the main cause of this kind of diabetes is an auto-immune reaction within the body, whereby our insulin producing cells are attacked by the defense mechanism of our body. People having this kind of diabetes produce very lesser amount of insulin or no insulin at all.

Type 2 diabetes is also famously known as non-insulin dependent diabetes - the main cause of this kind of diabetes can be said to be a rapid and steady decline of beta cells which facilitates the production of the blood sugar.

In present days, diabetes is one of the very common diseases which we are often very inclined to ignore, but the fact is that; diabetes is neither an insignificant disease nor does it ever cures; so ignorance in this regard can be described as nothing less than foolishness.

Diabetes is one of the most dangerous threats to human race and may cause various ill effects on human health. Diabetes can lead to blindness, kidney failure as well as nerve damage. Diabetes may also be responsible for blockage of arteries, leading to strokes and coronary heart diseases.

So whenever you are diagnosed with diabetes, never ignore it - follow your doctor’s suggestions and prescriptions to avoid any further complications.

Are you confused about diabetes and wondering how you ended up with it? And what are you supposed to do about it? There is so much different information given to you, your head is spinning. Firstly, let’s look at the main differences between type 1 and type 2 diabetes and the effect of type 2 on both the lean and obese person.

1. Type 1 Diabetes:

2. Type 2 Diabetes:

• it is understood to be brought on by lifestyle choices

in the lean person:

• the pancreas secretes less than normal amounts of insulin
• then fewer doors are opened for glucose to enter the muscle cells
• this results in blood sugar levels being higher than normal
• glycogen stores in the liver are mobilized then raising blood-sugars even further
• blood-sugars are elevated because the pancreas slowly and gradually stops producing insulin

in the obese or overweight person:

• even more than normal amounts of insulin could be secreted into the blood stream to compensate for increased resistance caused by extra fat around the waistline
• this causes the keyholes (insulin-receptors) to change their shape so that the keys (insulin-molecules) do not fit as well and fewer doors are then opened to allow blood glucose to pass through
• these high blood-sugars cause even more insulin to be secreted into the blood stream by the pancreas
• this build-up is known as insulin-resistance
• in time the pancreas becomes overworked and gradually becomes tired and fails to produce insulin
• glycogen stores in the liver may be mobilized to raise blood sugar levels even further
• blood-sugars are raised mostly because the pancreas tires and/or insulin-resistance

Signs and Symptoms:

• slow onset
• can vary from none to mild

Treatment:

• First stage: … diet and exercise; if obese weight loss
• Second stage: … diet and exercise plus insulin-stimulating medications. There is no real way of knowing when or if this stage will definitely occur
• Third stage: … diet and exercise plus tablets and/or insulin-injections

The biggest difference is in the treatment:

People in the type 1 category require insulin as their body is no longer producing it. Lean or obese people with type 2 diabetes need to find their particular food, exercise, or medication plan so that it translates into normal blood sugar levels in his or her body.

Insulin has many functions, and while it can’t get glucose into your muscle cells efficiently when you have type 2 diabetes, it still manages to carry out its other tasks. What are they you ask, well it is still able to:

• convert carbohydrates to fat and store them in fat cells, and
• prevents stored fat from being released and used as energy for your body

In a non-diabetic, as much as forty per cent of carbohydrate eaten may be converted to fat, of course, that would depend on your calorie/kilojoule intake. If you have insulin resistance, as type 2 diabetics do, that figure would be higher. So when you take higher insulin doses, or if your pancreas is still releasing insulin and needs to release more to cover the food intake, it’s really more likely you will store extra body fat as a result!

Eating carbohydrates that require a lesser amount of insulin will make it easier for you to lose weight. So a low-GI carbohydrate diet, plus lowering your blood lipids (fats) and your blood sugar levels, will help you to stay slim or lose weight.

Facts about food that help raise your blood sugar levels quickly:

1. Boiling and cooking foods containing starch will enable them to be absorbed more quickly. Heating breaks down starch making the sugar more accessible and faster to digest.
2. Mashed potatoes are absorbed more quickly than whole potatoes, wheat-flour gives a higher blood sugar response when baked in bread, than when used in pasta
3. Salt in food increases the absorption of sugar into the blood stream
4. Drinking fluids with a meal encourages the stomach to empty more quickly
5. Fruit juices raise your blood sugars dramatically as they have had the fiber removed
6. Peeled fruits also raise your blood sugars faster than whole fruit

Just about everything we eat or drink causes our blood sugars to rise. There is one exception: water. Staying well hydrated can actually lower your blood sugar levels … part of the excess glucose will then be excreted in your urine.

The three major nutrients in food are protein, fat, and carbohydrate. Protein’s effect on blood sugars is minimal as very little, if any, is converted to glucose. Large amounts of protein though can have a sparing effect on your glucose metabolism giving a gradual rise in sugar levels.

The impact of dietary fat is usually of little significance. However, large amounts of fat causes a prolonged rise in your blood glucose levels. The reason this happens is not clear; researchers say large amounts of fat in your bloodstream contribute to temporary insulin resistance.

Carbohydrates are the nutrients that have the most effect on blood sugar levels.

The same dietary advice applies to people with and without type 2 diabetes and that is:

• eat less high-GI carbohydrates (refined)
• compensate with more low-GI carbohydrates

Diabetes can certainly be treated the natural way without any need for insulin prescriptions. Even though millions of people affected carry on living their lives on a insulin dependency, this is totally unnecessary and pointless since in most cases diabetes could easily be cured with prevention or by reversing it, if already affected.

Diabetes is a symptom of an ill pancreas that stopped producing the sugar regulating insulin, so the most common response to such a life threatening condition is supplying the blood stream with an artificial shot of insulin because the pancreas can’t produce it anymore.

There is a coveted interest from international pharmaceutical companies to keep the status quo in order to keep their multi billion profit business going for such a widespread condition that affects millions of people worldwide. Some individuals must be cured with drugs, of course, and medicines have their right time and place in the appropriate cases, but in most cases this could be avoided all together with a proper diet and/or exercise. Leading physicians state that up to 100% type 2 diabetes and up to 81% type 1 diabetes could be reversed naturally by following a proper nutritional program, freeing the affected person from insulin addiction. This should come as no surprise because the human body has evolved for thousands of years to sustain itself on natural foraging foods such as cereals, berries, fruits, vegetables and the occasional meat.

With today’s diet based on acid producing foods, coffee, alcohol but above all sugar and sweets, it is normal that the overloaded pancreas should stop producing insulin. It is like working overtime 24/7 until eventually gives up and stop producing insulin at all. The good news is that since the human body machine was originally designed to work on a completely different diet, it can quickly recover to healthy levels once reverted to the original food it was meant to live on. It is like filling up your gasoline car with diesel by mistake: the car will stop and you’ll need to take it to a mechanic for a full clean up, tank and injectors. Once cleaned up the car will start running again on the fuel it was designed to run on.

Unfortunately many people keep on running their cars on diesel, so to speak, even though they were designed for gasoline because they are being sold an artificial chemical that forces the car to run also on diesel, with all the side effects imaginable and without solving the problem at the root, which is simply switching back to the right fuel.

This is what happens to people addicted to insulin, when all they should do is switching back to the right diet.