The Diabetes Mystery

There are approximately 20 million people in the United States who have diabetes.  Diabetes is a disease in which the body does not produce or use insulin, a hormone that is needed to convert proteins, fat, sugars and starches that we eat into the energy we need for every day life.  People with diabetes carry high levels of glucose in their blood streams, but their cells contain very little.  A healthy pancreatic gland will produce the hormone insulin, which lets your body use what it needs and store the sugar.  Once the gland becomes damaged and is not able to secrete insulin and the sugar is lost in the urine.  When this happens the condition leads to diabetes.    Although the cause of diabetes is still a mystery, we know that both genetics and many environmental factors play an important part.  Experts are still trying to find out what triggers the pancreas to stop producing and using insulin.  The influencing factors could be heredity, viral infection, age, weight and stress. 

There are four major types of diabetes, Type 1, Type 2, Gestational, and Pre-diabetes. Type 1 diabetes usually develops in children and young adults, and is a result in the body’s failure to produce insulin.  People diagnosed with type 1 diabetes are insulin dependent and have to take regular doses of insulin to keep in under control.   Non-Insulin dependent diabetes, or Type 2 diabetes doesn’t normally appear until the mid forties or later.  The age and weight of the person are closely connected with the type of treatment they will need.  Gestational diabetes affects approximately 4 % of all pregnant women.  Researchers do not know what causes this condition, but we have learned that the hormones produced by the placenta blocks the actions of the insulin and makes it hard for the mother’s body to use it.  Without enough insulin, glucose cannot leave the blood and be changed into energy, resulting in high levels of glucose in the blood stream.   

Before people develop Type 2 diabetes, they usually have pre-diabetes.  This is when their blood sugar levels are higher than what is normal, but not high enough to be diagnosed as a diabetic.  Recent studies have shown that people with pre-diabetes can return their blood glucose levels to normal by making changes in their diets and increasing their daily physical activity. 

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