What is Diabetes – Diabetes is like your body’s energy factory going on strike!
Imagine that your body is a busy factory that makes energy. It needs a special fuel called sugar (glucose) to run smoothly. Insulin is the worker that helps this sugar get into the factory’s machines (your cells) to make energy.
In diabetes, something goes wrong with this process. Either the factory doesn’t make enough workers (insulin), or the workers don’t work properly. This means that sugar can’t get into the cells to make energy, and instead it gets stored in the blood.
Let’s look at this energy problem in more detail.
What is Diabetes?
Diabetes is a disease that affects an important function of your body, in which your body converts food into energy.
Here is Simple words in which you can understand this:-
Diabetes: Your Body’s Energy Puzzle
Diabetes is like a puzzle in your body. Imagine that your body is a busy factory that makes energy. It needs a special fuel called sugar (glucose) from the food you eat. This sugar is like gasoline for your body’s car.
Insulin is the worker that helps this sugar move into the factory machines (your cells) to make energy. In diabetes, something goes wrong with this process. Either there are not enough workers (insulin), or the workers don’t work properly. This leads to a traffic jam of sugar in your body, which can cause problems.
Let’s take this energy puzzle further. But first, know what is blood sugar.
Your Body’s Energy Fuel: Blood Sugar
Imagine that your body is a car. It needs fuel to run, right? Well, your body’s fuel is called sugar or glucose.
When you eat food, your body breaks it down into smaller pieces of sugar. This sugar is then absorbed into your blood, and this is what we call blood sugar. It’s like adding sugar to water. This blood sugar is then used by your body for energy.
Let’s find out how your body uses this energy.
Now, when your blood sugar rises after you release sugar, your body signals an organ called the pancreas to release a hormone called insulin. The function of this hormone is to signal your body’s cells to use blood sugar as energy. It is only after receiving these signals that the cells of the body begin to use blood sugar to produce energy for themselves.
Also Read: What Causes Diabetes?
If you have diabetes, your body either doesn’t make enough insulin or can’t use as much insulin as it makes. When there isn’t enough insulin due to the body can’t produce them or cells stop responding to signals sent by insulin, too much blood sugar builds up in your bloodstream because it’s not used. Over time, this problem can lead to very serious health problems, such as heart disease, vision loss, and kidney disease.
What is Insulin?
Insulin is a hormone made by the islets in the pancreas, whose function is to signal or command the cells of the body to use the sugar present in the blood. Due to the lack of insulin in the body, the blood sugar is not able to use it, due to which the amount of sugar in the blood increases. If this condition persists for a long time, then the person becomes a patient of diabetes.
Types of Diabetes
There are mainly 3 types of diabetes: type 1, type 2, and gestational diabetes (diabetes during pregnancy).
What is Type 1 Diabetes
Type 1 diabetes is a problem due to which our immune system deteriorates. Due to an autoimmune reaction, our immune system mistakenly attacks the body itself and prevents the body from making insulin. The body stops producing insulin and there is a lack of insulin, due to which the blood sugar in the blood increases, and the person becomes a victim of diabetes.
About 5-10% of people with diabetes develop type 1 diabetes. Symptoms of type 1 diabetes often develop quickly and become visible. Type 1 diabetes most commonly affects children, adolescents, and young adults.
If you have type 1 diabetes, you will need to take insulin in the form of tablets or injections daily to survive.
What is Type 2 Diabetes
Insulin is made in the body of people suffering from type 2 diabetes, but their body does not use insulin well, due to which it is not possible to maintain the level of sugar in the blood at a normal level.
About 90-95% of people with diabetes suffer from type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes develops over many years and symptoms usually appear in adults. You may not notice any symptoms in children, teenagers, and young adults, so if you have the slightest doubt, get your blood sugar tested.
Type 2 diabetes can be prevented or delayed by making healthy lifestyle changes, such as losing weight, eating healthy foods, and staying active.
What is Gestational Diabetes
Gestational diabetes develops in pregnant women who have never had diabetes. If you have gestational diabetes, your baby may be at a higher risk of health problems in his future life.
Gestational diabetes usually goes away after your baby is born but you are at increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes in your future life. Not only this, your child is more likely to develop a dangerous disease like obesity in childhood or adolescence, and the chances of developing type 2 diabetes later in life also increase.
What is Prediabetes
In prediabetes, blood sugar levels are higher than normal, but not high enough to cause symptoms of type 2 diabetes. Prediabetes increases the risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and stroke.
You can get a blood sugar test done to diagnose prediabetes and if you have prediabetes, making changes in your lifestyle and eating habits can help control it and help prevent it.
What is Hba1c
The full form of Hba1c is hemoglobin A1c or HbA1c or Glycosylated Haemoglobin. It is a form of hemoglobin that contains sugar. The level of Glycosylated hemoglobin is higher in diabetic patients.
A glycated hemoglobin test is also called the Hba1c test. A normal HbA1c level should be between 4% and 5.6%, which means it should be between 68 and 100 mg/dL. If someone’s level is higher than this. So it means that he is in the early stage of diabetes. And if someone’s level is above 5.7% and 6.4%. So it means that he is completely suffering from diabetes.
Diabetes FAQs
What is Diabetes?
Diabetes is a condition where your body doesn’t produce enough insulin or can’t effectively use the insulin it does produce. Insulin is a hormone that helps glucose (sugar) from food get into your cells for energy. Without enough insulin or proper insulin use, glucose builds up in your blood, leading to health problems.
What causes diabetes?
The exact cause varies depending on the type of diabetes.
Type 1 diabetes: Your immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys insulin-producing cells in the pancreas.
Type 2 diabetes: Your body becomes resistant to insulin, and your pancreas can’t produce enough insulin to overcome this resistance.
Gestational diabetes: This develops during pregnancy due to hormonal changes.
How does diabetes affect the body?
Diabetes affects how your body turns food into energy. Without proper insulin function, glucose builds up in your blood, leading to various health problems if not managed.
What are the different types of diabetes?
The main types of diabetes are:
Type 1 diabetes: The body stops producing insulin.
Type 2 diabetes: The body doesn’t use insulin properly.
Gestational diabetes: Develops during pregnancy.
What are the symptoms of diabetes?
Diabetes symptoms can vary but often include frequent urination, excessive thirst, unexplained weight loss, fatigue, blurred vision, slow-healing sores, and frequent infections.
Is diabetes a serious condition?
Yes, diabetes is a serious condition that requires lifelong management. If not controlled, it can lead to heart disease, stroke, kidney damage, nerve damage, and eye problems.
How is diabetes diagnosed?
Diabetes is diagnosed through blood tests that measure your blood sugar levels. These tests include A1C, fasting blood sugar, and oral glucose tolerance test.
Can diabetes be prevented or cured?
While there’s no cure for diabetes, you can prevent or delay type 2 diabetes through lifestyle changes like maintaining a healthy weight, eating a balanced diet, and regular exercise. Type 1 diabetes cannot be prevented.
What are the complications of diabetes?
Diabetes complications can affect various parts of the body, including heart, kidneys, eyes, nerves, and feet. These complications can be serious and even life-threatening.
How is diabetes treated?
Diabetes treatment depends on the type of diabetes. It typically involves:
Blood sugar monitoring
Medication (oral or insulin)
Healthy eating
Regular physical activity
We hope you found this information about what is diabetes, What is Blood Sugar, What is Insulin, types of diabetes, what is type 1 diabetes, what is type 2 diabetes, what is gestational diabetes? What is Hba1c topic useful and worthy.
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