Diabetes Blog | Diabetes Type, Treatment, & Recipes

Juvenile diabetes, as the name implies, is a disease that most frequently found on children, although it may also be found in late adolescents in some cases. This type of diabetes is suspected by scientists to be a hereditary disease, but this conclusion is still plausible. However, it is clear that Type II diabetes is insulin-dependent; meaning that this disease is caused by the lack of insulin, which is a result of the damaging of the pancreas or an excessive production of hormones that can hinder the production of insulin. This lack of insulin causes the body to be unable to distribute glucose throughout the body, thereby depriving the body of its main fuel.

Symptoms of this include excessive hunger and thirst due to the body’s lack of fuel and a significant decrease in one’s weight, even if one eats very often. Along with this excessive hunger and thirst is the frequent need to urinate. The frequent urination is a result of the kidney trying to get rid of the unused glucose in the body. Other symptoms of juvenile diabetes include headache, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, dizziness, and absence of menstruation in girls. Once these symptoms are noticed, a consultation to a doctor should be done along with a shifting to a low-sugar diet.

Patients with juvenile diabetes have to be consistently receiving insulin to stay alive. Insulin may be given through subcutaneous injection by needle or by infusion with a pump. The insulin can be modified to slow down its absorption from the subcutaneous tissue. The number of insulin injected may vary, and its amount should be adjusted for the food intake and exercise. The transplantation of pancreatic islets also holds potential for curing juvenile diabetes, however, most of the time the immune systems destroys these transplanted pancreatic islets, so it is still best to rely on one’s discipline and diligence to maintain an adjusted lifestyle to improve the condition of a patient with juvenile diabetes

As of 2000, the prevalence of diabetes worldwide with ages ranging from 0 to 19 was estimated to be approximately less than a million. The worldwide population with age ranging from 20 to 44 was estimated to be around 34 million, while those whose age ranges from 45 to 64 was estimated to be around 83 million, and finally, the population with age 65 and above was approximated to be more or less 54 million. When the worldwide population is divided into two categories, i.e., the developed countries’ population and the developing countries’ population, a change in the trend will be seen.

As of 2000, the prevalence of diabetes in developing countries was approximately 29 million for ages ranging from 20 to 44, 59 million for ages ranging from 45 to 64, and 28 million for ages ranging 65 and above. In the case of the developing countries, it is clear that those whose age range from 20 to 44, or in other words, those who are able to work but are not yet on the retiring age, have been reported to have the highest case of diabetes worldwide. This can be attributed to their ability to purchase more foods, which could be most often, have very high caloric content. This prevalence can also be attributed to the unhealthful lifestyle (the major cause of Type 2 diabetes) practiced by people with age 20 to 44.

In the case of developed countries, the ratio of diabetes prevalence for age ranging from 20 to 44 is approximately 5 million, while it is 24 million for age ranging from 45 to 64, and 26 million for ages 65 and above. This change in the trend is attributed to the increased health awareness of the younger population.

All these estimates were projected to be more than double by 2030, regardless whether other factors affecting the prevalence of diabetes, such as obesity, remains constant or not. The worldwide ratio of men and women suffering diabetes is almost equal, although the number of men having diabetes was only slightly higher than that of women on all range of ages. The trend for diabetes prevalence may be similar for the worldwide population and the developing countries’ population, but this is merely because the developing countries, in general, are more populated than the developed countries.

Gestational diabetes, or glucose intolerance as it is called during pregnancy, is a type of diabetes that occurs on pregnant women usually during the 24th to 28th week of pregnancy. As opposed to juvenile diabetes which is caused by the pancreas’ inability to produce insulin, and adult onset diabetes which is caused by diet with very high sugar level, gestational diabetes is caused by the hormones produced by the placenta, namely cortisol, estrogen, and lactogen, which are all produced for the protection of the fetus and the mother but are also hindrances to the insulin’s ability to distribute glucose throughout the body.

Although the effects of gestational diabetes may be not very harmful to the mother, the effects of its complications on the health of the baby should not be ignored. Gestational diabetes often leads to macosomia, which is the abnormal enlargement of the baby because of the fat accumulated from the mother’s unused glucose. Another complication that the baby may have from gestational diabetes is hypoglycemia or the increase in the amount of insulin in the baby’s bloodstream, which could make the baby become obese.

Since the symptoms produced by gestational diabetes are usually ignored as merely natural effects of pregnancy, it is recommended that women who are on the 24th to 28th week of their pregnancy should take screening tests such as the Oral Glucose Screening Test (OGST) and the Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT).

After taking the test, doctors usually recommend mothers to have a low-sugar diet to lower their blood sugar levels. Exercise may also help to prevent the risks of glucose intolerance but it is not recommended for high-risk pregnancies. The best treatment for gestational diabetes is the cessation of the hormones that hinders the glycolytic effects of insulin which can only be done after the delivery of the child, which is done only several weeks after the detection of gestational diabetes.

Hunger, thirst, vomiting, headaches, nausea, confusion, dizziness, and urination are all symptoms of diabetes. However, most people ignore them as mere common complains of daily living, so it is very important to have a diagnosis once these symptoms begin to appear.

The diagnosing diabetes is conducted by physicians mostly rely on the results of glucose tests. One way is by letting a patient have and overnight fasting. After an overnight fast, the glucose concentration in the plasma of the blood should be generally less than 100mg/dL. If the glucose concentration level in the blood is higher than this and is accompanied by classic diabetes symptoms as mentioned earlier, then there is sufficient evidence to diagnose that a patient has diabetes. If the concentration of glucose in the blood is greater than 100mg/dL but the symptoms are absent, two samples of a patient’s plasma with concentrations greater than 140mg/dL is sufficient enough to establish a diagnosis of diabetes on non-pregnant adults. A slightly lower concentration of glucose in the plasma of a pregnant woman may serve as an indicator of diabetes.

In some instances, if glucose concentration in the plasma after fasting did not reach the range for diabetic patients, diagnosing diabetes can be done by measuring glucose concentrations after the patient ingested glucose. Two hours after the ingestion, if the glucose concentration level in the blood is roughly equal or higher than 200mg/dL, then there is a high possibility that the patient has diabetes. This will be confirmed by a second trial of the same test. If the similarity of the tests shows similarity, then there is enough evidence to diagnose diabetes. However, this form of glucose tolerance test is more useful in determining the prevalence of diabetes in a population rather than that of a single patient, since the results of this kind of test vary in the same person from day to day and year to year.

Diabetes Treatment varies from one patient to another depending on their general health, age, medical history, and whether they have complications and other medical problems.

For patients with insulin-dependent diabetes such as juvenile diabetes and gestational diabetes, it is important to take in injections of insulin, which can be short action or long action insulin injections. Insulin should be injected and never be taken in by mouth because it will be destroyed by the digestive system before it reaches the bloodstream. Insulin injections are usually taken three times a day and around mealtimes, but this may vary depending on the condition of the patient. As much as possible, the patient himself should be able to inject the insulin on his own in case that there is no one available to do it for him. A carefully planned diet should also be followed to decrease the patient’s blood sugar level.

Most of the patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes or Type 2 diabetes are first instructed to reduce their blood sugar level by caloric restriction and proper exercise. The caloric content rather than the type of food eaten is the most important consideration, which is why a patient who has Type 2 diabetes does not necessarily have to remove sugar from his diet. If caloric restriction did not decrease the blood sugar level satisfactorily, patients are then given an oral hypoglycemic agent such as sulfonylureas. Although hypoglycemic drugs may directly influence the metabolism of glucose, they just simply act as stimulants for insulin secretion, so insulin injection is another option in case that this form of treatment still did not work.

Another way of treating diabetes is the transplantation of the pancreas. These beta cells are the ones responsible for the production of insulin. Immunosupressive drugs are given to patients who have just undergone a transplant of pancreas, since the immune system seeks to destroy the newly transplanted pancreas in most patients. Unfortunately, immunosuppressive drugs are not uniformly efficacious and have a variety of undesired side-effects, so more powerful and less toxic drugs are still under development for the purpose of optimizing the transplantation of pancreas.

Diabetes has both acute and chronic complications. Diabetic ketoacidosis, which is sometimes referred to as diabetic comatose, occurs when the concentration of insulin in the blood is insufficient for the needs the patient. This decrease in the concentration of insulin can be caused by the omission of insulin injections, an increase in the patient’s need of insulin, or by stress. When the insulin becomes inadequate, the liver releases more glucose and ketone bodies, while the body’s ability to metabolize these substances decreases. The ketone bodies are acids, thus, the increase of this substance makes the body acidic (hence, the term ketoacidosis). This diabetes complication is simply treated with fluids and by increasing insulin injections.

Hypoglycemia may also occur because when there is excessive lowering in the glucose in the blood due to an excessive increase in the amount of insulin taken in by the patient. Since the brain is dependent on glucose for energy, hypoglycemia may result to a rapid heartbeat, nervousness, sweating, hunger, and comatose, if not treated. This complication is treated by eating only small amounts of carbohydrates. However, unconscious patients should not be given food because they might breathe it into their lungs. They should be revived either by giving intravenous glucose or by injecting glucagon which is a glucose-raising hormone naturally present in the alpha cells of the pancreas.

Some chronic diabetes complications include blindness. Fortunately, diabetic eye diseases can be readily detected and treated by ophthalmologists before they endanger a patient’s vision. Therefore, it is important for patients with diabetes to regularly and frequently undergo eye examinations.

Diabetes can also damage the kidney because of the high blood pressure that accompanies high blood sugar. It is possible to slow or prevent the damage in the kidney by a vigorous treatment in a patient’s high blood pressure. The lowering of the lipids in the blood which is frequently associated with lowering high blood pressure may deter the effects of these complications.

Diabetes occurs when the body does not have the ability to secrete or utilize enough amounts of the hormone called insulin. Insulin is the hormone produced by the beta cells of pancreas and is responsible for the distribution of glucose throughout the bloodstream. In other words, diabetes occurs when there is a significant imbalance between the body’s glucose supply and its ability to utilize this with the help of insulin. One reason for this is when the body’s pancreas cannot produce enough insulin to aid in the metabolism of the glucose. Another reason is when the body has too much glucose that the insulin it produces can no longer utilize them all.

Type 1 diabetes, or insulin-dependent diabetes, occurs when the pancreas cannot produce insulin. Type 1 diabetes is also known as juvenile onset diabetes because it is mostly diagnosed on patients with age below thirty and mostly with children and adolescents. This inability of the pancreas to produce insulin, in most cases, is hereditary, but there are also cases where it is caused by viral infection, physical damaging of the pancreas, or by damaging of the islets of Langerhans in the pancreas due to one’s own immune system damaging its own pancreas, known as autoimmune response. The cause of autoimmune response is still under study.

Type 2 diabetes, or non-insulin dependent diabetes, is caused by an over-supply of glucose in the body system. This explains why obesity is very much associated with diabetes. However, it is wrong to say that the Type 2 diabetes is caused by too much consumption of refined sugar alone because other foods also has their own glucose content, thereby, making it more proper to say that consumption of too much calories is the cause of Type 2 diabetes. This over-supply of calories in a body suffering diabetes could be worsened by obesity, old age, and most of all, an inactive and unhealthful lifestyle.

Adult Onset Diabetes, or sometimes called Type 2 diabetes, is a disease that results from too much consumption of high-calorie meals accompanied with an unhealthful, and more importantly, inactive lifestyle. This type of diabetes is mostly diagnosed on adults (hence, the name) and is also the most commonly diagnosed form of diabetes, taking almost 95% of all the reported cases of diabetes.

Like all forms of diabetes, its symptoms include excessive hunger, excessive thirst, blurring of eyesight, and abnormally frequent need to urinate, with the addition of the slow healing of wounds, leg pains, itchiness of the skin, and yeast infections.

The complications associated with adult onset diabetes include blindness, heart diseases, stroke, erectile dysfunction, and a chronic disability of a limb, which may result to an amputation if not treated early.

If a patient is diagnosed of having Type 2 or adult onset diabetes, he is initially instructed to follow a carefully-planned diet designed to lower the concentration of glucose in his blood and he is also instructed to keep track of his blood sugar level. If the glucose concentration in his blood did not decrease even after faithfully following the diet plan, he is then treated with hypoglycemic drugs. The function of these drugs is to stimulate the pancreas’ production of insulin which utilizes the glucose in the body. If the hypoglycemic drugs still did not work, the patient is then regularly injected by insulin.

Although, the treatment of adult onset diabetes is simple, it is clear that if the disease is not diagnosed early and thereby, delaying its treatment, the complications that results from it could be devastating and their treatment, very costly. So, the most commonly recited healthcare mantra, that is, “prevention is better than cure,” should always be followed by having a healthful diet and an active lifestyle.

Medifast is a diet plan that has been out there since early 80s. This is not just another meal plan that you are on without seeing any result. Due to the length of time the product has been out there in the market, we can tell that the diet plan works.

There cannot be any confusion arising about its effectiveness if we analyze some data. When we look at the facts and read other Medifast reviews, we see that this weight loss plan has been recommended by over 15,000 physicians so far since inception. Not only that, this meal plan has been clinically proven at John Hopkins hospital to work as an effective weight loss plan for people with type 2 diabetes.

A research result based on a 34 weeks weight loss study showed that diabetic patients on Medifast meal replacement plan lost twice as much weight that other subjects on standard weight loss plan.

It appears that Medifast Plus for Diabetics has the right amount of nutrition for diabetic patients which at the same time allow diabetics to lose weight. So if you are diabetic and want to lose weight, you know Medifast diet plan is the right plan for you.

Diabetes Treatment in form of medications should be something to learn about. Although natural treatment may be recommended, it does not solve nearly all complications brought about by the difficulty of insulin production in the body. What diabetic patients need is to find a drug that can help their pancreas increase insulin output to their bodies and at the same time, decrease some production of it from being absorbed by other organs. That is why there seems to be a long list of medications given to diabetics — some in-charge for balancing the sugar levels, some increasing it and some, lowering it. 

Diabetes Treatment Medications are intended for what? You see, this kind of disease is quite tricky so proper medical attention should be administered at all times by a physician. For starters, there are the Sulfonylureas. Their main duty is to lower glucose levels therefore allowing the release of insulin. Several years ago, the only available kinds of such medications were the chlorpropamides and tolbutamides but after the creation of more powerful drugs, the glipizide and glimepiride were introduced in the market. They are known to effectively prevent Hypoglycemia which happens to be the abnormally low levels of blood sugar in the body.

Diabetes Treatment medications that were previously mentioned have newer variations and formulations that have already reached the markets — in the form of meglitinides. These drugs work like the glipizides and glimepirides since it is active for a shorter period of time as compared to the sulfonylureas. This means that the patient should take the medications for three times a day before they take their meals. One disadvantage of taking them exclusively is that they may lower sugar levels resulting to Hypoglycemia. These kinds of medications are of course prescribed by physicians only after a series of blood works and other examinations.

You have to always bear in mind that it is not advised at all to self-medicate should you overheard a friend, a relative or even a co-worker who has Diabetes and are taking those mentioned drugs since they seem be sharing quite similar symptoms.