The Most Important Facts About
Diabetes
Author: Thomas Geter
In order to
appreciate the cause for the
condition known as diabetes, one
must first look at what occurs in
the body of a healthy individual,
particularly after such an
individual has recently eaten a
food that is high in
carbohydrates (sugar or starch).
Digestive juices rapidly act on a
starch, changing it to a simple
sugar. All sugars in digested
food mix with all the foods in
the stomach. That mix in the
stomach then enters the
intestines. |
The
nutrients in the fluid of the intestine
must reach the cells of the body. The
intestinal wall allows passage of sugar
from the intestinal cavity into the
bloodstream. That passage takes place in
both a healthy individual and in an
individual with diabetes.
Once the bloodstream has acquired sugar
from the intestines, then special
endocrine cells in the pancreas get a
signal. That signal tells those cells,
located in the Islets of Langerhans, to
release insulin (a chemical that acts on
the body 's cells). The specific
pancreatic cells in a healthy individual
respond quickly to the "call"
for insulin. The Islets' cells in a
diabetic do not give the proper response.
If a person has Type 1 Diabetes, then his
or her pancreatic cells lack the ability
to produce even a drop of insulin. If a
person has Type 2 Diabetes, then his or
her once well-functioning Islets' cells
demonstrate a sharply diminished ability
to make insulin. In either case, the body
's cells do not receive the chemical
message that facilitates the absorption
of blood glucose by those same cells.
Because
the cells of a diabetic lack the
ability to absorb glucose from
the blood, the cells of a
diabetic become deprived of a
needed energy source. Meanwhile,
if the diabetic continues to
ingest foods high in
carbohydrates, then his or her
bloodstream will become
"flooded" with glucose.
Eventually all of that glucose
passes through the kidneys, and
it leaves the body in the urine.
The physiological changes that
take place in a diabetic patient
produce certain tell-tale
symptoms. The patient might
complain about the need for
frequent urination. The patient
often speaks about having periods
of great thirst. The patient
experiences repeated periods of
unusual and unexpected fatigue. |
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The above symptoms show up among
individuals with both Type 1 and
Type 2 Diabetes. A few symptoms
are type-specific. For example,
in Type 1 Diabetes the patient
can experience a rapid weight
loss. In Type 2 Diabetes, the
patient frequently begins to
store more fat, and at the same
time that patient could well
exhibit a growing desire for
sweets and starches.
Type 1 Diabetes is an inherited
condition. The treatment for Type
1 Diabetes is insulin. Until
recently, that insulin had to
come in the form of insulin
injections. Newer medical
techniques now allow patients to
wear an insulin pump.
Health professionals struggle to
reverse the alarming rise in the
reported cases of Type 2
Diabetes. They encourage the
eating of high-fiber foods and
foods rich in complex
carbohydrates. Such foods do not
"flood" the bloodstream
with glucose.
About the Author
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