Diabetes mellitus (sometimes called "sugar diabetes") is a condition that occurs when the body can't use glucose (a type of sugar) normally. Glucose is the main source of energy for the body's cells. The levels of glucose in the blood are controlled by a hormone called insulin, which is made by the pancreas. Insulin helps glucose enter the cells.

In diabetes, the pancreas does not make enough insulin (type 1 diabetes) or the body can't respond normally to the insulin that is made (type 2 diabetes). This causes glucose levels in the blood to rise, leading to symptoms such as increased urination, extreme thirst, and unexplained weight loss.

Types of Diabetes

Type 1 diabetes (previously known as insulin-dependent diabetes)

Type 1 diabetes is an auto-immune disease where the body's immune system destroys the insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. This type of diabetes, also known as juvenile-onset diabetes, accounts for 10-15% of all people with the disease. It can appear at any age, although commonly under 40, and is triggered by environmental factors such as viruses, diet or chemicals in people genetically predisposed. People with type 1 diabetes must inject themselves with insulin several times a day and follow a careful diet and exercise plan.

Type 2 diabetes (previously known as non-insulin dependent diabetes)

Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes, affecting 85-90% of all people with the disease. This type of diabetes, also known as late-onset diabetes, is characterised by insulin resistance and relative insulin deficiency. The disease is strongly genetic in origin but lifestyle factors such as excess weight, inactivity, high blood pressure and poor diet are major risk factors for its development. Symptoms may not show for many years and, by the time they appear, significant problems may have developed. People with type 2 diabetes are twice as likely to suffer cardiovascular disease. Type 2 diabetes may be treated by dietary changes, exercise and/or tablets. Insulin injections may later be required.

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM)

GDM, or carbohydrate intolerance, is first diagnosed during pregnancy through an oral glucose tolerance test. Between 5.5 and 8.8% of pregnant women develop GDM in Australia. Risk factors for GDM include a family history of diabetes, increasing maternal age, obesity and being a member of a community or ethnic group with a high risk of developing type 2 diabetes. While the carbohydrate intolerance usually returns to normal after the birth, the mother has a significant risk of developing permanent diabetes while the baby is more likely to develop obesity and impaired glucose tolerance and/or diabetes later in life. Self-care and dietary changes are essential in treatment.

Causes Of Diabetes

Diabetes can be caused by too little insulin (a hormone produced by the pancreas to control blood sugar), resistance to insulin, or both.

To understand diabetes, it is important to first understand the normal process of food metabolism. Several things happen when food is digested:
A sugar called glucose enters the bloodstream. Glucose is a source of fuel for the body.
An organ called the pancreas makes insulin. The role of insulin is to move glucose from the bloodstream into muscle, fat, and liver cells, where it can be used as fuel.

People with diabetes have high blood sugar. This is because their pancreas does not make enough insulin or their muscle, fat, and liver cells do not respond to insulin normally, or both.

There are three major types of diabetes:

Type 1 diabetes is usually diagnosed in childhood. The body makes little or no insulin, and daily injections of insulin are needed to sustain life.

Type 2 diabetes is far more common than type 1 and makes up most of all cases of diabetes. It usually occurs in adulthood. The pancreas does not make enough insulin to keep blood glucose levels normal, often because the body does not respond well to the insulin. Many people with type 2 diabetes do not know they have it, although it is a serious condition. Type 2 diabetes is becoming more common due to the growing number of older Americans, increasing obesity, and failure to exercise.

Gestational diabetes is high blood glucose that develops at any time during pregnancy in a woman who does not have diabetes.

Diabetes affects more than 20 million Americans. About 54 million Americans have prediabetes. There are many risk factors for diabetes, including:
1. A parent, brother, or sister with diabetes
2. Obesity
3. Age greater than 45 years
4. Some ethnic groups (particularly African Americans, Native Americans, Asians, Pacific Islanders, and Hispanic Americans)
5. Gestational diabetes or delivering a baby weighing more than 9 pounds
6. High blood pressure
7. High blood levels of triglycerides (a type of fat molecule)
8. High blood cholesterol level
9. Not getting enough exercise

The American Diabetes Association recommends that all adults over age 45 be screened for diabetes at least every 3 years. A person at high risk should be screened more often.

How To Prevent Or Control Diabetes

Diabetes prevention is proven, possible, and powerful. Studies show that people at high risk for type 2 diabetes can prevent or delay the onset of the disease by losing 5 to 7 percent of their body weight. You can do it by eating healthier and getting 30 minutes of physical activity 5 days a week. In other words: you don't have to knock yourself out to prevent diabetes. The key is: small steps that lead to big rewards. Learn more about your risk for developing type 2 diabetes and the small steps you can take to delay or prevent the disease and live a long, healthy life.

Small Steps. Big Rewards. Your GAME PLAN to Prevent

Watch Your Diet

There is no one magic diet that works for everyone. Nor is there a single diet that works best for one individual over a long time. Pay attention to your genetics, and to your ethnic group's traditional foods. If you are African American, that does not mean overcooked vegetables or pork rinds. Such garbage came on the nutritional scene only recently, and is not a true ethnic food. The same is true for Italians who overdose on pepperoni pizza. Being Italian myself as, well as having enjoyed fantastic African cuisine, I can tell you there is a lot more to these diets than the recent introductions often associated with these cultural groups.

Except for Eskimos and a few other highly specialized ethnic groups, all diets must adhere to the same few macronutrient rules. For example:

Eliminate as many processed carbohydrates as possible.

Don't eat carbohydrates 2 hours before bedtime.

Balance your fat/carbos/protein in a roughly 30-40-30 ratio (this is a guideline, not a hard and fast rule--it doesn't work for everyone).

Eat at least 5 or 6 small meals a day.

Always eat a high-protein breakfast.

Did you know that the peanuts offered on airlines are LESS fattening than the fat-free pretzels?
It's true. Stay away from fat-free foods--they make your insulin levels do a yo-yo, and that makes you put on fat. Yuck. Worse, it sets the stage for adult-onset diabetes.

Do NOT eat white flour, bleached flour, enriched flour, or any other kind of wheat flour that is not whole wheat. The glycemic effects of such flours will work against you. Eat whole grain flours, and try to get a variety. Amaranth and soy are two good flours. Eat oat groats instead of oatmeal. In short, get your grains in the least-processed form you can. This holds true for everyone, regardless of genetics (unless you have a malabsorption problem). This one "trick" will help you keep your insulin level on an even keel, and that is paramount to diabetes prevention and management.

What also holds true for everyone is: drink lots of water! Fill a gallon jug twice a day, and make sure you drink all of it. Once you get as lean as you want to be, cut back to a single gallon if you want to. For added fat loss, drink chilled (but not super cold) water. Sodas do not count. Such beverages are extremely unhealthy, for reasons I won't cover here. However, I will say that if you want to get osteoporosis, soft drinks are for you. Soft drinks make for soft bones.

Make sure to eat at least 5 or 6 small meals a day, rather than one big one. Doing so levels out your insulin and your blood sugar. Forget about that full feeling. If you find yourself overeating out of anxiety or boredom, fix the underlying problem -- don't add to it by poor eating!

Stay Healthy.

My Name is Abayomi Aje, I have written many articles concerning weight loss and other health related articles some of which can be found on my blog at http://yourhealthdoctor.blogspot.com

By Janet Smith

Over my many years of having diabetes, I've talked with many other diabetics. The phrases I hear most often are, "I need to start checking my sugar." "I've been trying, but I just can't lose any weight." "It doesn't matter what I do my A1C's are still above 7." Somehow it seems diabetics don't truly understand the disease. Nor just how important and relatively easy it is to get control of diabetes.

All too often people diagnosed with type 2 diabetes somehow decide it is too hard to get control of their blood sugar. They take their medication, and think, "I'll do better today." They may even go a few days really trying to watch what they're eating and even exercise...then gradually they're back to their old lifestyle. "I'll do better tomorrow." Only tomorrow becomes today and time passes. All the while their body's health is gradually decreasing.

Avoid Complications

If you have diabetes and can relate to the description above, I beg you to STOP RIGHT NOW and begin to make changes. Unless you can begin to change your attitude you will end up with complications of diabetes. Left uncontrolled diabetes can be destructive and deadly. That's right. DEADLY!

Higher than normal range blood sugar can result in heart attacks, heart disease, strokes, blindness, amputations, kidney failure and more.

Make the attitude adjustment today to take control. Consider the fact that without good health, all the other events of your life become difficult. Your body is the only one you'll ever have. You don't get a second chance to look after it. The good news is that by changing your attitude you can take the steps necessary to get good diabetes control. While doing so may be difficult at first, consider your other options...blindness, kidney failure, heart attack. Don't think these diabetes complications won't happen to you. They happen to people who don't control their diabetes on a daily basis.

Change Your Attitude and Your Life

Once you make the attitude adjustment and decide to put controlling your diabetes and your health at the top of your to-do list, follow the five steps below to take better control.

1. Take stock of what you are currently doing and not doing. Are you eating a healthy diet? Are you regularly checking your blood sugars? Do you exercise daily? Answer honestly.

2. Start today to check your blood sugar at least two or three times daily. Not knowing what your blood sugar levels is like driving at night without your lights on...you don't know what's coming up next.

3. Change your eating habits to a healthy diet. Try to eliminate most processed foods, simple carbohydrates and high fat foods. If you're not sure about what to eat, do some research, or see a dietitian.

4. Get regular exercise. If exercise is not part of your regular routine, start slowly, but make sure to START. Even thirty minutes a day will make a big difference. Cardio and strength training are highly recommended.

5. Set mini goals for yourself and monitor your progress. Get help in the areas where your knowledge is weak.

Remember, change your attitude, to an "I can do it" attitude to beat diabetes and improve your health.. Gradually you will become adjusted the changes you make and will look forward to good health instead of terrible diabetes complications.

For years now countless billions have been spent on Diabetes research, and everyone who has been involved in this research hoped to be able to find the magical cure that would help all those that suffer with the dreaded diabetes disease.

Doctors have known for years about Diabetes and they know how to treat it. They know that it’s the pancreas that begins to fail in the production of natural insulin. But have you asked yourself why the pancreas stops working in the first place?

I’m sure the drug companies that make all the medication for diabetics are laughing all the way to the bank as they know with the present trend things will get worse rather than better.

Diabetes information is clear cut and as you get older there’s a good chance you will have some form of Diabetes that will drastically alter your life. It is also a fact of life that obesity is on the up as more people and children become overweight the more chance that they will become Diabetic.

Being a diabetic means that you have to monitor what you eat and should your situation become serious you will have inject insulin several times a day. Then you begin to live with the fear of having cardiovascular problems or maybe high blood pressure. It may be the case that you get kidney problems or liver failure, and then to cap it all your eyesight gets worse to the point you need new glasses every six months.

Going back to Diabetes research I did come across a website that asked the same question I asked earlier. Why does the pancreas stop working in the first place? Is it to do with pollution or preservatives or the lifestyle we lead? Perhaps it’s the lack of exercise or those dreaded e numbers that everyone is talking about?

The person that gave the answer to that first question gave a very plausible answer saying that it was the actual food we were eating. Straight away my mind went into overdrive because this last few decades we have all been told that certain foods are good for you only to be told later the opposite. This Diabetes research has also helped people with Cancer and Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s Osteoporosis and many more diseases that before have been proved to be incurable. For diabetic’s they were able to drastically reduce their reliance on insulin all from watching what they ate.

Researching and Treating Diabetes
Diabetes is a problem that affects so many people, both in the U.S. and worldwide, surprisingly, however, very little is known about the disease. There are a number of organizations that are researching exactly what causes diabetes, as well new and better methods for controlling it, monitoring blood sugar levels, getting insulin into the blood, newer medicines to correct the problems and even how to stop it before it starts.

There are numerous groups and organizations involved in research such as the FDA, the Diabetes Action Research and Education Foundation, or DAREF, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, the Diabetes Research Institute and the Diabetes Research and Wellness Foundation and many, many others, in the United States, Great Britain, Australia and many other countries.

• A vaccination against the autoimmune response that causes type 1 diabetes. Testing is currently being carried out on animals.
• Genetic engineering to make liver cells that produce insulin. Although insulin is produced there is no internal control mechanism as there is with the pancreas, so the insulin levels from such cells remains constant regardless of the body's requirement for this hormone.
• Stem cells are the very basic building blocks of the human body and have the ability to develop into any kind of cell. It is possible that researchers will find a way to use stem cells to make insulin producing cells to replace those that have been damaged by the autoimmune problem that causes type 1 diabetes.
• Immunoassay for type 1 diabetes.
• The impact of exercise training for those with diabetes.
• A recent report that transplanted pig cells have been successful in reversing diabetes in test monkeys.
• Arterial issues.
• Enhancing the cell survival of important agents in diabetes.
• A type 1 diabetes medication that helps the beta cells in the pancreas to live longer, the loss of the beta cells is one thoughts of causes of type 1 diabetes, is currently underway by the Diabetes Action Research and Education Foundation (DAREF) that may prove to help patients create insulin on their own, thus reducing the dependence on outside sources of insulin
Other research currently underway is the use of cinnamon to lower blood sugar levels. Dr. Richard Anderson at the United States Department of Agriculture's Human Nutrition Resource Center has been able to effectively isolate a compound in cinnamon that causes lowered blood sugar.

The reason that cinnamon is so helpful to someone with diabetes is the way that it inhibits enzymes in the body that may be responsible to insulin resistance. This is especially noteworthy to those who are afflicted with Type II diabetes and have insulin resistance problems. Cinnamon also was shown to increase the body's sensitivity to insulin causing insulin to be used more efficiently.

If you or someone you know is afflicted with this chronic illness, funding a research team may allow you to benefit immediately and enable you to play a role in research and the treatment of the millions of other diabetes sufferers in the world.

A couple of the more recent treatments currently in trials are - A medicine that is based on the saliva of a venomous lizard - the Gila monster. The drug containing this new treatment is delivered by injection in much the same way as insulin; however the early trials have seen many participants withdraw because of an increase in side effects when compared to those caused by insulin. All research so far undertaken has been sponsored by the pharmaceutical company that produces this drug.

Another new treatment going through trials is the delivery of insulin through inhalation. The insulin is prepared in a dry micro fine powder form which is inhaled directly into the lungs from where it is absorbed into the blood stream.

According to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International (JDRFI), “every year over 13,000 children are diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.” There is no known cure for this stealthy disease that attacks and destroys the beta cells that produce insulin. Symptoms present themselves suddenly and progress rapidly. Knowing what symptoms to look for, if you suspect juvenile diabetes has gripped your child, will lead you to seek the medical counsel of a physician.

Know the Symptoms:
If your child has been potty trained and begins wetting themselves frequently, consider juvenile diabetes as a possibility.
Extreme thirst and a keen desire for cold drinks that is sweet.

Eyesight problems such as blurred vision.

Irritable.
Child complains of nausea and is vomiting. (Acute symptoms that need immediate attention) Losing weight while continuing to display a healthy appetite.

Listless, tired, abnormally quiet.
Falling into a coma. (A life threatening condition that requires immediate medical intervention)
It’s not always apparent that a child has type 1 or juvenile diabetes. Some of the symptoms seem like average childhood problems that occur. Untreated diabetic children may display restless behavior and an apathetic attitude when it comes to school. The inability to focus on tasks at hand leaves them somewhat dysfunctional and frustrated. Rapid, deep breaths that have a fruity odor are another more subtle sign that could easily be overlooked.

The behaviors may go unnoticed by parents as symptoms of juvenile diabetes until the child reaches diabetic ketoacidosis. DKA is a serious condition with the body receiving little or no insulin and resulting in energy being produced by the breakdown of fat. This process causes ketenes or acids to spill into the blood stream as toxins. One quarter of the children with juvenile diabetes has all ready advanced to the level of diabetic ketoacidosis before seeing a physician or being diagnosed. If the juvenile diabetes continues to go untreated, the child may lapse into a diabetic coma.

A diagnosis is made through blood tests that target glucose levels and urine tests that measure the level of ketenes and glucose. The tests are far simpler to read than reading the behaviors of your child and being able to pinpoint them as potential symptoms of juvenile diabetes. With knowledge comes power and by knowing the symptoms parents have the power to begin successful management of type 1 diabetes giving their child the opportunity for as normal a childhood as possible.

Children and Diabetes
Children, like adults, are often diagnosed with diabetes. Most children have type 1 or juvenile diabetes that will require insulin on a regular basis to sustain proper body functions. There are growing numbers of children that are now being diagnoses with type 2 diabetes that has historically only been found in adult populations.

Some facts about children and diabetes highlight the importance of understanding this disease and finding ways to manage and control it effectively:
* One in every 400-500 children in the world has diabetes.
* Approximately 150,000 children in the United States under the age of 18 have diabetes.
* Type 1 or juvenile diabetes occurs when the immune system begins to generate cells that destroy the pancreatic cells responsible for producing insulin in the body. If the child does not receive insulin every day the child will die.
* 13,000 children are diagnosed with type 1 diabetes every year. These children are at a greater risk for heart attack, stroke, kidney disease and immune complications throughout their lives.
* Type 2 or adult onset diagnosis is becoming more prevalent in children. This is a condition where the body is unable to utilize the insulin produced because it has built up a resistance to the insulin. Over time the pancreas is unable to produce sufficient quantities of insulin, and complications arise.
* Type 2 diabetes is more closely linked to obesity, especially if there is a history of diabetes in the family. It is also more prevalent in African American, Latino, Asian, and American Indian children.

Controlling diabetes in children
While not required to eliminate all their favorite foods, it is important to teach children concepts of portion control and healthy eating. Fast foods are not a good substitute for fresh fruits and vegetables, lean meats and whole grains.

Try to schedule so that your child has time to sit down to a balanced meal as often as possible, ideally three times per day. Try to include whole grains, fiber, lean meats, fish, dairy products and fresh fruits and vegetables. To get children to eat healthy try the following:
* Trail mix including a variety of nuts, dried soy nuts, dried fruits instead of potato chips.
* Granola bars instead of cookies or donuts.
* Whole grain bread instead of white bread.
* Carrot and celery sticks instead of French fries
* Bake foods instead of deep frying
* Salads with meals or as an appetizer before meals
* Raw vegetables or fruits dipped in yogurt

Remember that modeling healthy lifestyles will help your children learn. Exercise together as a family. Small changes in lifestyles can lead to big changes in health conditions over time. Start small and work together as a family to reach your diet and exercise goals.