Diabetes is characterized by the inability of the body to control it’s blood sugar level. High blood sugar is known as hyperglycemia and is controlled by the hormone insulin. So diabetes interferes with the creation and secretion of insulin.

There are three types of diabetes and they disrupt the normal secretion of insulin in different ways.

The Three Types of Diabetes

The first type of diabetes is known as Type 1 diabetes, insulin dependent diabetes mellitus or juvenile diabetes . It is often called juvenile diabetes to indicate the age that most people acquire it. It is unusual to acquire Type 1 diabetes past your mid 20’s.

Type 1 Diabetes and How You Get It

Although it is not known how you get Type 1 diabetes, it is understood what causes the condition and some theories about why it occurs.

Type 1 Diabetes is known as an autoimmune disorder. This means that the body destroys the cells that produce insulin because it thinks that they are harmful to the body. These cells are called the beta cells found in the islet cells that are located in the pancreas. Because the insulin producing cells are destroyed blood sugar levels cannot be regulated by the body so insulin has to be injected into the body to perform this function.

Type 1 diabetes lasts for life and insulin replacement therapy must continue throughout. It is thought that a combination of genetic and environmental factors cause type 1 diabetes. People are thought to inherit genes that will tell the body to destroy beta cells. This, combined with exposure to poor diets, air pollution or poor quality environments could cause the disease to occur. Research continues.

Type 2 Diabetes and How You Get It

Type 2 diabetes, sometimes known as adult onset diabetes because it was thought to occur in later life (although this is changing) is caused by insulin resistance. The beta cells in the pancreas continue to produce insulin but the body needs more insulin than secreted to process the glucose or the insulin is less effective in converting glucose into glycogen and thus reducing the blood sugar level.

Again, it is not completely clear why Type 2 diabetes occurs but being overweight is a common condition of most Type 2 diabetic people. The common assumption is that a lifestyle of eating unhealthy foods and not taking regular or adequate exercise could contribute to causing this disease.

It is believed that hereditary genes may predispose a person to acquire Type 2 diabetes but most advice on avoiding this condition is to lose weight, eat healthily and do more exercise.

Gestational Diabetes and How You Get It

Gestational diabetes is acquired during pregnancy and is a consequence of hormonal changes in the body during the pregnancy and, again, hereditary genes. Gestational diabetes generally stops after childbirth.

Most Common Type of Diabetes

Type 2 diabetes is the most common of the 3 types of diabetes. It is estimated that 90% of diabetics suffer from this form of the ailment. It also seems that there is more data on how to avoid and prevent this condition than any of the others. Exercising more regularly and eating a healthy, balanced diet can significantly reduce the chances of contracting the disease. If you already have it, exercise and healthy eating can make it less intrusive to your lifestyle.

Learn more about healthy meals for diabetics at diabetic diet plans. The site deals with diets and eating healthy foods but also describes common diabetic symptoms and conditions of the disease. Adrian Whittle writes on issues related to diabetes including diabetic ketoacidosis and diabetic neuropathy.

Prediabetes Versus Diabetes

The first thing you need to learn is the difference between prediabetes and diabetes. Knowing what prediabetes and diabetes are, and understanding the similarities and differences between them, makes it easier to find out if you have one of these conditions. Pre-diabetes means that you don’t yet have diabetes, but if you do nothing you may develop type 2 diabetes in the future. The biggest worry with prediabetes is an increased risk for heart disease, even if diabetes never develops.

When you have prediabetes you have something called insulin resistance. This means that your body doesn’t respond correctly to the insulin your body makes. Your body then has to make more and more insulin to keep your blood sugar levels in the normal range. When you have insulin resistance, other abnormalities of fat and blood pressure occur that can clog your arteries with plaque. So when I talk about treating prediabetes I am talking about preventing both diabetes and heart disease. This condition (and its associated disorder known as the metabolic syndrome, or syndrome X) is very common; more than 44 million Americans have it.

How High Blood Sugar Levels Related to Prediabetes and Diabetes

Diabetes, which is an abnormality of blood sugar levels, is classified by three distinct types. Type 2 is the most common and is the type of diabetes people get if their prediabetes is not treated. Type 1 diabetes is the form of diabetes for which patients must take insulin shots for the rest of their lives. The third type is gestational diabetes, which is a form of type 2 diabetes that can occur during pregnancy. When I treat patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes, I work with them to bring blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels into the normal range. This helps lower their risk for heart disease and stroke (just as in patients with prediabetes) as well as the risk for blindness, kidney failure, and amputation.

When you are first diagnosed with prediabetes or diabetes you need to find health care providers who can give you the education and treatment that you need. Later I will describe how to find helps and who can give it. What is most important to realize right now is that we can do something about prediabetes and diabetes.

Don’t Be Desperate if You Have Prediabetes and Diabetes

Having these conditions isn’t the death sentence. Think of them instead as an opportunity to take control, to have a longer, healthier life. Many of the diabetes management skills I hope to I can make you (actually anyone) healthier overall. Fixing one part of your health – for instance, increasing the fiber in your diet to help lower blood sugar and cholesterol levels, can also affect another area, such a lowering the risk for colon cancer. Treating diabetes is treating your well-being overall.

You can read more about Natural treatment of type 2 diabetes. Another related article you might want to read is New treatment for type 2 diabetes.