To better understand how diabetes impacts the body, we'll take a look at how the body processes food. Food is digested in the stomach and broken down into glucose which is the body's preferred form of energy. Glucose is then transferred into the bloodstream leading to all the body to provide energy. In order for sugar to pass into the cells, the body produces the hormone known as insulin which is produced by the pancreas.
For people without diabetes, the pancreas produces the proper amount of insulin for the amount of glucose in the blood stream but for a person with diabetes, little or no insulin is produced, or the cells are unable to respond to the insulin that is produced. When glucose continues to circulate through the blood stream and is not used, it can lead to negative effects on the body damaging the blood vessels, nerves and kidneys.
Type 1 Diabetes
| Type 2 Diabetes
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Even though diabetes is a widespread disease, there is hope in treatment. For people with type 1 diabetes, they must manage and control their diabetes for their entire life. Patients are regularly treated with insulin injections and with recent advancements in medical devices, insulin pumps have been created to deliver a continuous flow of insulin to the blood stream depending on the glucose levels.
As for type 2 diabetes, there have been some accounts where people have been able to manage or to even rid themselves of symptoms without medication through exercise, dieting and body weight control. The Arizona Mayo Clinic has also show that a gastric bypass surgery and reverse type 2 diabetes.
I was recently diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and I have no one to blame but myself. My lifestyle choices of eating fast food / takeout, sitting in front of the computer for extended periods of time, and not exercising has resulted in obesity and type 2 diabetes. I plan to make changes to my lifestyle to improve my overall health and happiness; I hope this will provide encouragement to all readers.