by Dr. Adam Seigers, Medical Health Contributor
Do You have diabetes? You probably would never know unless you have had a blood test to confirm an elevated blood sugar.
Like high blood pressure diabetes can go unnoticed for many years. In its most severe form, there can be increased appetite, thirst or urination.
Diabetes is defined as a blood sugar, when not eating, of 126 or more.
Normal fasting blood sugar is less than 100, but many people have blood sugars which classify them as prediabetic, falling somewhere between 100 and 126.
These individuals need to be monitored closely as they are likely to develop diabetes.Diabetes comes in two main varieties. The first type is type I diabetes.
This usually, but not always, occurs in young people and results primarily from a lack of insulin production by the beta cells in the pancreas.
It is always treated with insulin as the lack of insulin is the primary problem.
In type 2 diabetes, which accounts for about 95% of all diabetes, the problem is somewhat more complicated.
First, the liver which normally is responsible for maintaining a normal blood sugar when not eating, produces excessive glucose, making blood sugars high.
In addition, the cells in muscles fail to take up blood sugar due to insulin insensitivity.
Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas which helps to lower blood sugar.
The pancreas compensates for this insensitivity by producing more insulin.
With time, this compensatory response fades and insulin injections may be necessary.
Understanding how diabetes works is paramount to understandingwhat can be done to treat it.
Medications either decrease the liver’s production of blood sugar, increase the sensitivity to insulin, or stimulate the production of insulin by the pancreas.
It has been shown that 30 minutes of regular exercise helps to increase the body’s sensitivity to insulin.
Additionally, meticulous attention to diet and weight loss can help prevent or in some cases even reverse diabetes.
For more information please contact your primary care provider and keep any eye out for the diabetes teaching day to be offered this spring free of charge in Boonville.
