DIABETES is the most common disease prevalent all over the world, and INDIA has unfortunately become the epicenter of this disease, with almost 5 out of 10 people having fallen a prey to it. With much research it has been established that this is not a hereditary but a lifestyle disease. The cure for this can be there through changes in diet and lifestyle, but we need to understand the types of Diabetes.
TYPES OF DIABETES
Even though most people have heard of type 1 and type 2 diabetes, it turns out that there are many types of diabetes—and that they can all be improved. That’s because there are many reasons why your blood glucose can increase, and taking the time to understand which specific tissues in your body are affected is your key to understanding which type of diabetes you are living with.Understand the various types of diabetes, and know the differences between each type.
TYPE 1 DIABETES
Type 1 diabetes which is commonly referred to as juvenile onset diabetes, the reason is that it has majorly affected young children and adolescents. It is an autoimmune condition that can completely destroy insulin-producing beta cells in your pancreas, dramatically decreasing endogenous (self-made) insulin production, while increasing the need for exogenous insulin (insulin injected through a syringe, pen, or insulin pump). When you are living with type 1 diabetes, the goal is to increase your carbohydrate- to-insulin ratio; maximizing your insulin sensitivity; making your blood glucose extremely predictable; preventing common complications such as heart disease,neuropathy,retinopathy, and kidney disease; reaching your ideal body weight; and dramatically increasing your energy levels.
TYPE 1.5 DIABETES
Type 1.5 diabetes or latent autoimmune diabetes in adults (LADA), is also an autoimmune version of diabetes that destroys insulin-producing beta cells. Unlike type 1 diabetes, however, type 1.5 diabetes affects people over the age of 30 and is a slower-progressing autoimmune reaction that gradually destroys beta cells and decreases endogenous insulin production, often over the course of five to ten years. Think of type 1.5 diabetes as an adult-onset, slow-progressing version of type 1 diabetes that is often misdiagnosed as type 2 diabetes. As is true with type 1 diabetes, when you are living with type 1.5 diabetes, the goals are to preserve beta cell function for as long as possible ;increase your carbohydrate-to-insulin ratio; maximize your insulin sensitivity; make your blood glucose extremely predictable; prevent common complications such as heart disease, neuropathy, retinopathy, and kidney disease; reach your ideal body weight; and dramatically increase your energy levels.
PREDIABETES
Prediabetes is a condition that precedes type 2 diabetes and is diagnosed when your fasting blood glucose is between 100 and 125 mg/dL, or when your A1c value is between 5.7% and 6.4%.Prediabetes occurs when your muscles and liver have become resistant to the effects of insulin,resulting in a minor traffic jam of both glucose and insulin in your blood that slightly elevates your fasting blood glucose. Think of prediabetes as a warning sign that type 2 diabetes is fast approaching. The goal with prediabetes is to eliminate insulin resistance and avoid the transition to type 2 diabetes altogether.
TYPE 2 DIABETES (NON-INSULIN-DEPENDENT)
Type 2 diabetes (non-insulin-dependent) occurs when your fasting blood glucose increases beyond 125 mg/dL or when your A1c level is 6.5% or greater, yet you are still producing sufficient quantities of endogenous insulin. A type 2 diabetes diagnosis follows when prediabetes progresses beyond mild insulin resistance, often resulting in an increased risk for high blood pressure, high cholesterol,atherosclerosis, weight gain, fatty liver disease, chronic kidney disease, and low energy. The goals for living with non-insulin-dependent type 2 diabetes are to maximize your insulin sensitivity until you no longer require diabetes medications, drop your A1c to 5.6% or below, and remove type 2 diabetes from your health record. If you have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, eating to reverse insulin resistance is your ticket to becoming nondiabetic.
TYPE 2 DIABETES (INSULIN-DEPENDENT)
Type 2 diabetes (insulin-dependent) occurs when your fasting blood glucose increases beyond 125 mg/dL or when your A1c level is 6.5% or greater, and you are not producing sufficient quantities of endogenous insulin. Insulin-dependent type 2 diabetes occurs when beta cells have overproduced insulin for a long period of time, resulting in an inability to produce sufficient insulin. In this situation, managing your blood glucose with precision can be accomplished only by using your diet in combination with insulin and/or oral medications. As is true in type 1 and type 1.5 diabetes, the goal of living with insulin-dependent type 2 diabetes is to maximize your insulin sensitivity; also, to make your blood glucose extremely predictable so that can be managed, and minimize or eliminate oral diabetes medications; this shall help prevent common complications such as heart disease,neuropathy, retinopathy, and kidney disease; reach your ideal body weight; and dramatically increase your energy levels.
GESTATIONAL DIABETES
Gestational diabetes is a version of diabetes that affects pregnant women and usually disappears after giving birth. Gestational diabetes can occur at any stage of pregnancy, but it is more common in the second half, when a woman fails a diagnostic screening known as a glucose tolerance test.Much like prediabetes and type 2 diabetes, gestational diabetes can result when a pregnant woman develops insulin resistance, and can be managed, prevented, and even reversed. Even though gestational diabetes often disappears after birth, it’s still important to address it during pregnancy because it can increase the risk for premature birth, preeclampsia (high blood pressure), and stillbirth, and can dramatically increase the risk for developing type 2 diabetes in the months and years after pregnancy.
Identify your type, and then accordingly start your treatment. Don’t forget to make lifestyle changes and adapt to a healthy and fitness life, for managing Diabetes.
