Diabetes is growing with alarming speed in the United States. There are 23 to 24 million Americans with diabetes today and 57 million Americans with pre diabetes. The numbers have reached epidemic proportions and are growing in volume daily.?

Medical personnel are constantly stating two (2) facts that have a great deal to do with people who develop diabetes. Those 2 facts are (1) being overweight and (2) heredity. Being overweight can be changed with proper diet and exercise, but little can be done about heredity.

The number of diabetics is increasing and this disease is not contagious. A person becomes a diabetic because (1) he is born with diabetes, or (2) he becomes a diabetic because his body quits producing insulin or his body does not use insulin properly. The first kind of diabetes is known a s juvenile diabetes and the second kind is labeled type 2 diabetes.

If your family has a history of diabetes, then you are at a greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes. The only thing you can do in this instance to lower your risk of developing diabetes is to fight the other factors that cause people to develop diabetes. That means you need to lose weight if you are overweight, eat a healthy diet and exercise regularly. If you do so, you can lower these risk factors and you may beat the odds of developing diabetes.

If you can lower your risk factors for developing diabetes, then there may be a possibility you will not become a diabetic. It is an uphill battle however. You have to change your lifestyle. Your whole life must change if you plan to stop yourself from developing diabetes. You may eat right, cut down on carbohydrates and calories, eat more fruits and vegetables, eat less fat, quit eating sugar, and eat smaller meals throughout the day, and exercise regularly. It still may not prevent your developing diabetes, but it gives you better odds.

You see, diabetes is high blood sugar levels or excess glucose in the blood and the urine. Sometimes you can do all things right and still develop diabetes. Not even the doctors know why. It all goes back to family history. That is the one factor over which we have little control.

If, however, you fight diabetes and do keep it from developing in your body, then it will be well worth it. You see, diabetes can begin and you will not know it is working in your body. It can work for years with very little warning. Usually the first signs of diabetes is so slight, we think it is something that is causing it. We do not think of diabetes until the warning sings are severe. Then we know and the doctor knows, we are looking at type 2 diabetes.

Those severs signs of diabetes are extreme thirst, frequent urination, feeling hungry more than ever, losing weight, being cranky and moody, cuts that are slow to heal, and numbness in hands and feet. So many times we have one of those symptoms such as numbness and tingling in the hands and we blame carpal tunnel because we work at a keyboard all day. It is not until we have 2 or 3 or 4 symptoms we begin to look at diabetes as the cause.

If you have any symptom listed here and you have a family history of diabetes, go to the doctor. They can run tests and determine if you are diabetic or not. Do not wait. The complications of diabetes are too severe to put it off even for a moment! Do not take a chance. The sooner you are diagnosed, the sooner you can begin to halt the progress of the disease.

In my next article, I will let you know the complications of diabetes and, in the meantime, let everyone you know read this article, especially if they are at risk for developing diabetes!

In the meantime, take care, eat healthy and exercise!

Symptoms of high blood sugar are very important to know for anyone who is a risk for diabetes or diseases related to blood glucose levels that are out of range. Read this article to learn five important signs of high blood glucose levels. While all of these symptoms together are not telltale signs of diabetes, they can alert you to a potential problem.

Signs of high blood sugar

1) Fatigue
Fatigue occurs when your the glucose in your body is not properly being converted to energy. The result is that the loss of energy in your body makes you tired.

2) Increased urination
When there is excess blood glucose in the bloodstream, and the body cannot convert the blood sugar to energy, it is processed through the urinary tract. Increased urination can be a symptom of high blood sugar and is usually a result of the person consuming more fluids due to increased thirst.

3) Vaginal Yeast Infections (in women)
Increased glucose levels also affects the urinary tract. Not only is yeast infection a sign of high concentration of blood glucose, someone with high glucose levels in their body is also at risk for urinary tract infections, kidney infections, as well as kidney stones.

4) Increased Thirst
This is due to the brain’s response to the excess sugar. It reacts by making the body thirsty so that the bloodstream can be diluted, resulting in an attempt to lower the blood sugar concentration.

5) Blurred Vision
Blurred vision as a result of increased glucose levels can lead to more serious diseases of the eye such as diabetic retinopathy which results from damage to the retinal blood vessels from prolonged periods of high blood sugar.

Note that these symptoms of high blood glucose may or may not occur in any combination. The root cause of these signs is that the excess glucose in the bloodstream has thickened, resulting in various organs responding to the excess sugar.

Untreated high glucose levels (or hyperglycemia can result) can result in in the hardening of the arteries due to the excess levels of glucose in the blood which causes damage to vessels. The longer the signs of high blood sugar go unchecked, the more potential damage that is done to one’s organs (and body). The good news also is that if you are able to get your blood glucose levels under control, you may be able to reverse any adverse affects that prolonged periods of high blood sugar have had on your body.

Type 1 diabetes may not be as common as type 2 diabetes, but it does not mean that this should not be given the same amount of attention.

Type 1 diabetes happens because the pancreas is unable to produce insulin, or even if it is able to do that at all, the amount of insulin is not enough. Insulin, as you must know is a hormone that is responsible in converting glucose into energy. Normally, the insulin breaks down glucose in the blood and the essential nutrients are then distributed in the blood stream. Unfortunately, what happens with diabetes is that instead of getting the essential nutrients, the cells become starved because excess glucose is excreted out of the body through the urinary system.

Such being the case, people with type 1 diabetes may present the following signs and symptoms:

excessive urination

excessive thirst

dehydration

dry mouth

weight loss

fatigue

There may also be:

nausea and vomiting

abdominal pain

blurred vision

breathing problems

frequent skin infections, UTI, vaginal infections

It is not really clear what causes type 1 diabetes, but genetics and environmental factors seem to be linked to this diabetes type. According to some studies, there is a virus that seem to attack the pancreas, rendering it unable to produce insulin.

It is also said that type 1 diabetes occurs usually before the age of 20, the reason why it is called juvenile diabetes.

People with type 1 diabetes often need insulin injections to control the problem. The type of insulin you need depends on your body’s response to insulin, your lifestyle, your willingness to do the injections and monitor your blood sugar level, and your age. Insulin may be fast acting, intermediate acting, short acting or long acting.

Close monitoring is very important if you are taking insulin injections for type 1 diabetes; that is why it is often recommended of diabetics to use a blood sugar monitoring device. This way they get to check their blood sugar levels at random times.

Controlling Diabetes

Controlling type 1 diabetes is very important because uncontrolled diabetes can lead to more serious diseases, such as retinopathy, kidney damage, and diabetic ketoacidosis which can be fatal. Controlling diabetes can be achieved through insulin injections, but diabetics are nonetheless advised to embark on a healthy lifestyle, that means eating the right foods and engaging in regular exercises.

Life with Diabetes

People who are recently diagnosed with type 1 diabetes are concerned about the kind of life they will have to live now that they are confirmed diabetics. One major issue is the need for insulin injections for life. Then there’s also the matter of avoiding sweets. For chocoholics and sweet lovers, having diabetes is tantamount to the end of the world, but of course, that should not be the case at all.

Yes, you may need some changes in your food choices, but keep in mind that fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grains are not only healthy - they are truly delicious, too!

The fact that you have diabetes should not dampen your mood at all. Strong family support is very important, and thankfully there are now many diabetes support groups that you can join to help you cope with diabetes better.

Diabetics can still live a long, normal and healthy life, even in the midst of type 1 diabetes.

Diabetes is a disease that needs to be taken very seriously and treated accordingly. Diabetics have a higher chance of developing certain serious health problems, including heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, circulation problems, nerve damage, and damage to the kidneys and eyes. Studies in different countries have shown that diabetes is a costly disease accounting for between 2.5 and 15% of the total healthcare expenditure. For the age category 20-79, the world annual direct cost is estimated to be over 153 billion, and expected to double in 2025.

Diabetes is arguably the greatest healthcare threat in developed countries, and a rising scourge in countries such as China, India and Brazil. Pharmaceutical, biotechnological, and diagnostics companies cannot afford to overlook this developing field, especially for innovative therapies.

Symptoms present themselves suddenly and progress rapidly. They include frequent urination, excessive thirst, unusual weight loss, extreme hunger, fatigue, irritability, and blurred vision. Knowing what symptoms to look for, if you suspect juvenile diabetes has gripped your child, will lead you to seek the medical counsel of a physician. Symptoms often develop abruptly and the diagnosis is often made following an emergency admission to hospital. The patient may be seriously ill, even unconscious, with very high glucose levels and high levels of ketones.

Diabetes is all about sugar, the sugar in our bodies known as blood sugar or blood glucose. Every cell in our bodies must have a constant source of glucose in order to fuel metabolism. With diabetes. It is important to exercise, keep your weight down, eat a healthy diet with lots of fresh vegetables, whole grains, and low fat meats like chicken and fish, Simply put, the food you eat is converted into glucose. It is the job of the pancreas to produce insulin necessary to move excess glucose away from the bloodstream and into the cells of the body . Studies have also shown that there is little variation in naturally-occurring sugars, and the same sugars after refining. For these reasons, sucrose added to foods or used as a replacement for some starchy foods, can make an important contribution to the diet of diabetics by lowering the amount of fat in their diets.

Exercise causes the body to use more glucose which causes your blood sugar levels to drop. Studies have found that walking just 30 minutes a day will cause you to lose weight. Obesity is also one of the most common factors, leading to the lack of exercise and high blood pressure levels. US studies have shown that diabetes can also develop when a mother gives birth to a child who weighs more than 9 pounds.

Millions of Hispanics have pre-diabetes, a condition where blood sugar levels are higher than normal, but not yet high enough for a diagnosis of diabetes. Risk factors for pre-diabetes include family history, ethnicity, and being overweight. Millions of Hispanics have pre-diabetes, a condition where blood sugar levels are higher than normal, but not yet high enough for a diagnosis of diabetes.