DISCOVER MORE ABOUT DIABETES
Reversing diabetes starts with understanding it. From diabetes basics to treatment, the facts you need to know are right here. You’ll find details on these topics and more:
The types of diabetes
The risks and symptoms
Getting diagnosed
Choosing Healthportal diabetes Reversal Therapy
How to stay on track with your diabetes care
What is diabetes? And why does it happen?
Diabetes occurs when the body does not make enough insulin, makes no insulin at all, or doesn’t respond to insulin properly. To understand diabetes, you need to know what insulin is and why your body needs it.
Insulin is a hormone that helps move sugar into your body’s cells for energy. Your cells need energy for almost every job your body does
How eating is related to diabetes
First, here's what happens with sugar:
When you eat, some of your food is broken down into sugar. Sugar enters your blood. Then it travels in your blood to all your body's cells. Your body needs the sugar for energy
Next, here's what happens with insulin:
Insulin is a hormone made by the beta cells in your pancreas Insulin acts like a key to help unlock cells and let the sugar in to provide energy. When sugar moves out of the blood and into the cells, the amount of sugar in your blood goes down
What is the difference between type 1 and type 2 diabetes?
In type 1 diabetes:
Your pancreas makes little or no insulin, due to an overactive autoimmune system
In type 2 diabetes:
Your body prevents the insulin it does make from working right (known as insulin resistance)
Your body may make some insulin but not enough
Differences Between
Type 1 and Type 2
Understanding diabetes starts with knowing the different types of diabetes and their key differences. The two most common types are type 1 and type 2.
Type 1 diabetes
In type 1 diabetes, the body makes little or no insulin due to an overactive immune system. So people with type 1 diabetes must take insulin every day. Type 1 diabetes usually occurs in children and young adults but can also appear in older adults. please Note, we don't reverse type 1 diabetes.
Type 2 diabetes
In type 2 diabetes, your body prevents the insulin it does make from working right. Your body may make some insulin but not enough. Most people with diabetes—about 90% to 95%—have type 2. This kind of diabetes usually happens in people who are older, although even younger adults may be diagnosed with it. Type 2 diabetes also occurs in people who are overweight. In fact, about 5 out of 10 people with type 2 diabetes are overweight.
Diabetes during pregnancy (gestational diabetes)
Some women may develop diabetes during pregnancy, which is called gestational diabetes. Being diagnosed with gestational diabetes doesn't mean a woman had diabetes before or would to have diabetes after giving birth.
CAUSES OF DIABETES
No one knows exactly what causes diabetes. But scientists are working hard to find out what’s behind it. We do know that some things, called risk factors, increase your risk of having type 2 diabetes.
Am I at risk for type 2 diabetes?
Risk factors increase your chances of having type 2 diabetes. If you have risk factors, you should speak with your health care provider about changes you can make to manage risk and possibly avoid getting diabetes.
Risk factors that cannot be changed
Being over 45 years of age.
Having diabetes in the family.
Being a member of certain ethnic groups (for example, African or Hispanic).
Having had diabetes during a pregnancy, or giving birth to a baby who weighed more than 9 pounds.
Risk factors that can be managed
Being physically inactive
Being overweight
Why it’s important to get diagnosed
Millions of people are undiagnosed and don’t know that they have diabetes. If you are developing type 2 diabetes, you may not notice any symptoms at first. You may not feel that something is wrong, so you don’t go to your health care provider to get tested.
Finding out if you have diabetes is important because high blood sugar can damage your body and lead to other health problems if left untreated. When you know about the condition, you can take steps to reverse it.
Symptoms of Diabetes
If you have some of these symptoms or think that you have diabetes, you should speak with a health care provider. There are simple tests to see if you have diabetes.
Some common signs and symptoms of diabetes are:
Testing for Diabetes
If you and your health care provider think that you have diabetes, you’ll get a blood test to be sure. There are several blood tests that can help you find out if you have diabetes:
Fasting plasma glucose (FPG) test
Fasting plasma glucose tests measure a person’s blood sugar after he or she hasn’t eaten for 8 to 12 hours (or overnight). A diagnosis of diabetes is made when two FPG tests, taken on different days, are at least 126 mg/dL.
Oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT)
For this test, usually taken after you haven’t eaten overnight, your blood sugar (glucose) levels are measured before and 2 to 3 hours after drinking a liquid that contains sugar (glucose). If your blood sugar is 200 mg/dL or higher, you may have diabetes.
A1C test
The A1C test measures your average blood sugar levels over the past 2 to 3 months. It’s like a “memory” of your blood sugar levels. An A1C test of 6.5% may mean that you have diabetes.
Random plasma glucose test
You may have diabetes if your blood sugar levels are 200 mg/dL or higher and you have these symptoms:
Urinating more than usual
Feeling more thirsty than usual
Blurred vision
Weight gain may occur with type 2 diabetes.
Feeling very tired