Get Fit, Stay Fit, Today

The amount of blood glucose in your body varies through the day according on how much and what you eat during the day. If you eat foods composed mostly of simple sugars and carbohydrates this will cause the glucose in the blood stream to swing widely from high to low.  A normal blood sugar level is considered to be between 70 and 110 mg/dL.  The higher end after you eat and the lower end after fasting for several hours.  In fact typical normal blood sugar levels upon arising after a good night s sleep should be in the 70 to 100 mg/dL range.  Higher than that can indicate a medical problem is on the way and even higher readings indicate diabetes has taken hold.

Blood sugar levels often above 150 mg/dL indicate hyperglycemia or high blood sugar.  Levels below 70 mg/dL is hypoglycemia and can be a dangerous condition that causes shaking, headaches and even coma. It can be reversed by ingesting sugar to raise the glucose level in the blood.  If you are experiencing swings in blood sugar a trip to the doctor is probably necessary for further testing and ruling out serious problems.

Staring out the day with oatmeal is a good way to reverse blood glucose swings.  Oatmeal is high in fiber.  Fiber slows down the digestive process and also the absorption of glucose into the bloodstream.  Other whole grain cereals or high fiber foods are a great addition to your diet and help normalize blood glucose.  Adding cinnamon to your oatmeal can help delay the emptying of your stomach even further.  Studies have shown that cinnamon can affect blood sugar levels and slowing the emptying of food into the rest of the digestive tract is how it is thought to work

Protein added to breakfast can help start out the day right and low-fat options are available to add the benefit of protein without adding the extra calorie of fat.  Keeping blood sugar levels normal is possible and just a little change in diet habits and meal planning can make it possible.

What is the difference between type 1 and type 2 diabetes? There are many ways of explaining this depending on how you look at it. There are differences in the causes, physical factors and treatment.

1. Causes

Diabetes mellitus of either type 1 or type 2 is a condition where the body either does not produce enough insulin to regulate blood sugar levels, or does not respond adequately to insulin, or both. If it is not treated, this causes an excess of sugar or glucose in the blood, leading to complications. Eventually, if severe and left untreated, it would cause death.

In type 1, the cells in the pancreas that produce insulin are lost, so the body simply cannot produce the amount of insulin that a normal person needs. Often the cells are destroyed by an autoimmune attack, probably as the result of a virus. People who develop type 1 tend to be otherwise generally healthy and of normal weight.

In type 2, the cause is usually a combination of reduced insulin production and the body becoming insulin resistant so it does not effectively use the insulin that it has. This is often associated with middle or old age, hypertension, and/or being significantly overweight.

In both cases, heredity also plays a part. Some people seem to be genetically disposed to develop diabetes. Type 1 diabetes comes on without warning and prevention may not be possible, although some studies suggest that vitamins D and B3 may play a part.

Type 2 is usually preceded a period of pre-diabetes where symptoms are not so severe. If you have type 2 diabetes in the family, you are over 40 and either you have high blood pressure or you are overweight, you should have your blood sugar tested from time to time. If symptoms are caught early you may be able to avoid developing full diabetes.

2. Age of onset

Type 1 is often called juvenile diabetes because it often begins in children and adolescents and usually comes on quite suddenly without warning. Type 2 more often develops later in life and can be preceded by a long period of pre-diabetes where symptoms exist but not to the point where diabetes would be diagnosed.

It is possible for children to develop type 2 and also for adults to develop type 1, so this is not a true difference between type 1 and type 2 diabetes. However, the fact remains that most diabetic children have type 1, even though type 1 accounts for only 10% of the diabetic population.

3. Treatment

Type 1 diabetes is usually treated with insulin injections. Patients are likely to have to inject insulin for the rest of their lives unless they have a pancreas transplant.

Type 2 diabetes can often be controlled with a combination of dietary modifications and oral medication. In some cases, diet alone is enough to manage it. In others, insulin injections become necessary at some point. However, type 2 is generally easier to manage because the body is still producing some insulin in most cases.

Exercise and the Diabetic: Exercise is an important component in controlling diabetes and should be an integral part in one’s treatment program.

All diabetics need to monitor their blood sugar and try to follow certain dietary guidelines to avoid blood glucose spikes.

Certain factors that contribute to the development of diabetes are:
Heredity
Heredity is a major factor. That diabetes can be inherited has been known for centuries. However, the pattern of inheritance is not fully understood. Statistic indicates that those with a family history of the disease have a higher risk of developing diabetes than those without such a background. The risk factor is 25 to 33 percent more.
One reason why diabetes, especially type-2 diabetes runs in the family is because of the diabetes gene. But even it is caused by genetic factors beyond your control; there is no Continue reading »