You may feel afraid and puzzled when the doctor diagnoses you with diabetes. Nevertheless, as soon as you know what it is and how to deal with it, you will feel better. Notwithstanding, even if you feel fine, it is important that you take your condition seriously and immediately start your diabetes treatment.

SO WHAT IS DIABETES?

If you are diabetic, your body is unable to use insulin properly, or even incapable of making enough insulin. Insulin helps you move glucose (sugar) from your bloodstream into the cells of your body, to produce energy for its functioning. Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas, without which sugar can not enter the cells and thus builds up in the bloodstream.

WHAT ARE THE TYPES OF DIABETES?

PRE-DIABETES

There is a condition named "pre-diabetes". People with pre-diabetes have higher than normal levels of blood sugar, though not quite as high as those with diabetes. This is a warning sign to urge one to make a lifestyle change to prevent type 2 diabetes. In the United States alone more than 50 million people have pre-diabetes, studies reveal.

TYPE 1 DIABETES

Then there is type 1 diabetes, which is an autoimmune disease. The immune system attacks the beta cells in your own pancreas, the cells that produce the insulin, and this causes the pancreas to make too little insulin or stop making it at all. This type of diabetes is more common among whites than it is among people of other races.

TYPE 2 DIABETES

Type 2 diabetes is the most common type. According to the CDC, in the United States alone more than 20 million people are affected by this condition. Type 2 diabetes occurs when your body cannot properly use the insulin that it produces itself. This condition is called insulin resistance. This usually happens when you are overweight, and body fat makes it harder to use the insulin your body produces. There may be other risk factors, including aging, physical inactivity, race, family history of type 2 diabetes, etc.

GESTATIONAL DIABETES

Another type of diabetes occurs when blood sugar levels during pregnancy are higher than pre-pregnancy levels. This is called "gestational diabetes", and its causes are not well known at the present. Some experts' opinion is that the hormones produced by the placenta interfere with the mother's capacity to use her own insulin. If this type of diabetes is not carefully controlled, the baby may be affected. Fortunately, gestational diabetes is usually caught in an early stage and the baby does not suffer any complications.

DIAGNOSIS OF THE TYPE OF DIABETES

To determine what type of diabetes a person has, there are two different tests to be used. The FPG test (fasting plasma glucose), in the first place, measures the glycemia level after fasting for an eight hour period. The other one, the OGTT (oral glucose tolerance test), measures the glycemia level after drinking a standardized drink, rich in glucose. Glycemia levels are then tested several times over a period of four hours.

Just a few years ago type 2 diabetes was referred to as "adult onset diabetes". However, an increasing number of teenagers and even children are diagnosed with this type of diabetes, as juvenile obesity increases. Type 1 diabetes used to be known as "juvenile diabetes", but every day more adults are being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. Diabetes mellitus is no longer called "sugar diabetes". So you see that many old terms for diabetes are not relevant anymore.

WHAT YOU MUST DO IF YOU ARE DIAGNOSED WITH DIABETES

Although being a frightening situation, receiving a diagnosis of diabetes can be, on the other hand, an excellent opportunity to adopt healthier habits and the decision to take control of your own overall well-being and choose, as soon as possible, the right diabetes treatment you need. If you are a type 1 diabetic, you will need insulin each and every day. If you have type 2 diabetes, or gestational or pre-diabetes, you probably will not need insulin.

Anyway, no matter what the type of diabetes you have, you don't need to live a miserable life, full of restrictions and sufferings. You might be able to improve your condition with the appropriate lifestyle modifications including diet, weight control, exercise and nutritional supplements.

Keeping glycemia level under control is key. Maintaining it in the correct range is the first mandatory step. Scientific studies have consistently shown that attaining this goal helps minimize the risk of complications. Strict blood sugar control drastically reduces the chances of suffering most of the diabetes-related complications: kidney, eye and nerve diseases.

A crucial issue here is the way you deal with food. Healthy eating habits can help diabetics control their weight and thus control their diabetes more easily. Among the diets for diabetics, I would recommend the low glycemic index diets (low GI diets), which help maintain body weight and blood sugar in the right levels. It is important for the diabetic to follow a heart-healthy diet, with high complex carbs content, high fiber and low fat content, to prevent hypertension and high cholesterol.

BOTTOM LINE: THE THREE FUNDAMENTAL PILLARS

People can control their type 1 diabetes with a combination of a healthy diet, frequent exercise, the appropriate nutritional supplements, and of course insulin.

People with anyone of the other types of diabetes may be able to keep their glycemia under control, and even reverse their diabetes with just diet, exercise and supplements, the three fundamental pillars of any diabetes treatment.

JOSE TALAVERA - Health advisor. Diabetes expert, consultant and author. If you like this article, please visit the web site below for more advice and resources for diabetics: http://conquer-diabetes.blogspot.com