Diabetes mellitus is a disease of the pancreas (an organ behind your stomach). Normally, the pancreas releases a hormone called insulin that helps your body store and use the sugar and fat from the food you eat.
Diabetes occurs:

• When the pancreas does not produce any insulin, or
• The pancreas produces very little insulin, or
• When the body does not respond appropriately to insulin, a condition called "insulin resistance."

Diabetes is a lifelong disease. As yet, there is no cure. People with diabetes learn to manage their disease to stay healthy.

Why Is Insulin Important?
To understand why insulin is important, it helps to know more about how the body uses food for energy. Your body is made up of millions of cells. To make energy, these cells need food in a very simple form. When you eat or drink, much of your food is broken down into a sugar called glucose. Glucose, or sugar, provides the energy your body needs for daily activities.

When the amount of glucose or sugar in your blood reaches a certain level, your pancreas releases insulin. The insulin carries the glucose into the appropriate cells of organs such as the liver, stomach, muscles, etc. As more glucose enters your cells, the level of glucose in your bloodstream drops.

Without insulin, the glucose or sugar can't go into the organs and tissues. This causes the level of glucose or sugar in the blood to rise. Too much glucose in the blood is called "high blood sugar." By definition, diabetes is having a blood sugar level of 126 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) or more after an overnight fast.

Types of Diabetes
Type 1 diabetes. Type 1 diabetes occurs because the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas (called beta cells) are damaged. People with type 1 diabetes produce little or no insulin. People with type 1 diabetes must use insulin injections to control their blood glucose.

Symptoms of Diabetes
• Increased thirst
• Increased hunger (especially after eating)
• Dry mouth
• Frequent urination
• Unexplained weight loss (even though you are eating and feel hungry)
• Fatigue (weak, tired feeling)
• Blurred vision
• Numbness or tingling of the hands or feet

Type 2 diabetes. Unlike people with type 1 diabetes, people with type 2 diabetes produce insulin. However, the insulin they produce is either not enough or doesn't work properly in the body.

Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes mellitus. It usually starts in people over age 40 who are overweight. The rise in obesity today has caused a rise in type 2 diabetes in that age group. This can often be controlled with diet and weight loss. Type 2 diabetes can also occur in people who are not obese.

The symptoms of type 2 diabetes may be the same as those listed above. Most often, there are no symptoms or a very gradual development of the above symptoms.

Other symptoms may include:
• Slow-healing sores or cuts
• Itching of the skin (usually in the vaginal or groin area)
• Yeast infections
• Recent weight gain

Gestational diabetes. Gestational diabetes can occur during pregnancy. Hormone changes during pregnancy can affect ability of insulin to work properly, resulting in high blood glucose levels.

Risk Factors for Gestational Diabetes
• Pregnant women
• Over 25 years old
• Above their normal body weight before pregnancy
• Have a family history of diabetes
• Hispanic, African-American, Native American, or Asian.

Usually, blood glucose levels return to normal after childbirth. However, women who have had gestational diabetes have an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in life.
What Are the Risk Factors for Diabetes?

Although the causes of diabetes are unknown, the following risk factors may increase your chance of getting diabetes:
A family history. If a parent or sibling in your family has diabetes, your risk of developing diabetes is increased.
Race or ethnic background. The risk of diabetes is greater in Hispanics, African-Americans, Native Americans, and Asians.

Being overweight. If you are 20% or more over your optimal body weight, you increase your risk of developing diabetes.
Hypertension (high blood pressure).

Abnormal cholesterol levels. Low HDL or "good" cholesterol level less than 35 mg/dL and/or a triglyceride level over 250 mg/dL increases your risk.

Age. Your risk of developing diabetes increases progressively as you get older.

Use of certain drugs:
• Blood pressure medicines, such as thiazides.
• Steroid medicines, such as prednisone or Decadron (dexamethasone).
• Anti-seizure medicines, such as Dilantin.
• Medicines for transplant recipients, such as cyclosporine

Alcohol Use. Years of heavy alcohol intake increase your risk of developing diabetes.
Smoking. Smoking increases your risk.

History of gestational diabetes (developing diabetes during pregnancy) or of delivering babies over nine pounds.
Autoimmune disease. Your body's defense system (immune system) attacks healthy insulin-producing beta cells in your pancreas.

Viruses. Some viruses are thought to play a part in diabetes development. It is important to note that eating a lot of sugar, in and of itself, does not cause diabetes, but it can lead to tooth decay and obesity.
How Is Diabetes Diagnosed?

If you suddenly experience symptoms of increased thirst, frequent urination, or unexplained weight loss, your doctor may suspect diabetes. To confirm the diagnosis, a fasting plasma glucose test or a casual plasma glucose test will be performed.

The preferred method of diagnosing diabetes is the fasting plasma glucose test (FPG) because it is easy to do, convenient for patients, and less expensive than other tests, according to the American Diabetes Association. The FPG measures your blood glucose level after you have not eaten anything for 10 to 12 hours.
Normal fasting blood glucose is between 70 and 115 mg/dL for people who do not have diabetes. The standard diagnosis of diabetes is made when two separate blood tests show that your fasting blood glucose level is greater than or equal to 126 mg/dL.

Some people have a normal fasting blood glucose reading, but their blood glucose rapidly rises as they eat. These people may have glucose intolerance. If their blood glucose levels are high enough, they may be considered to have diabetes.
The casual plasma glucose test is another method of diagnosing diabetes in which blood glucose is tested without regard to the time since the person's last meal. A glucose level greater than 200 mg/dL may indicate diabetes, especially if the test is repeated at a later time and shows similar results.

The oral glucose tolerance test is yet another method used to detect diabetes, but it is usually only done during pregnancy.

What is the conventional treatment?
At the present time, diabetes can't be cured, but it can be treated and controlled. The goals of managing diabetes are to:
• Keep your blood glucose levels as near to normal as possible by balancing food intake with medication and activity.
• Maintain your blood cholesterol and triglyceride (lipid) levels as near their normal ranges as possible by decreasing the total amount of fat to 30% or less of your total daily calories and by reducing saturated fat and cholesterol.
• Control your blood pressure. Your blood pressure should not go over 130/85.
• Slow or possibly prevent the development of diabetes-related health problems.

You hold the keys to managing your diabetes by:
• Planning what you eat and following a balanced meal plan.
• Exercising regularly.
• Taking medicine, if prescribed, and closely following the guidelines on how and when to take it.
• Monitoring your blood glucose and blood pressure levels at home.
• Keeping your appointments with your healthcare providers and having laboratory tests as ordered by your doctor.

What are some alternative treatments?
• Nutritional supplements- chromium, antioxidant vitamins (vitamins A, C, and E)
• Nutritional Therapy- eat more soluble fiber, complex carbohydrates, and foods rich in magnesium, potassium, and calcium; avoid alcohol and high-fat foods.

What Has Been Proven To Work?
Obesity is a risk factor for 80-90% of all type2 diabetes. Weight loss can greatly reduce the risk. And exercise can keep the blood sugar stable. Remember, exercise and managing your caloric is free. There are 16 million Americans with diabetes, which is usually triggered by lack of exercise, obesity, family history, and high blood pressure. Prevention is crucial and the steps are easy. Reduce the risk factors and stay diabetes free.

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