subject: Signs, Causes, And Early Symptoms of Diabetes [print this page] Signs, Causes, And Early Symptoms of Diabetes
This disease is manifested in three different ways, called types:
Type 1 diabetes is when the body simply fails to produce insulin. These diabetics will need to take insulin via injection as long as they live.
Type 2 diabetes is the result of insulin resistant. The cells fail to use the insulin the body does produce or there is a deficiency of insulin. Treatments include medications, diet restrictions, and sometimes insulin.
Gestational diabetes happens with pregnant women, not already diabetics, when the blood glucose level becomes too high. Type 2 diabetes sometimes follows. This is usually diagnosed as a result of routine screening during pregnancy. Treatments include diet modification and exercise although anti-diabetic drugs are sometimes prescribed.
The causes of diabetes are not entirely understood although it's believed that Type 1 diabetes is inherited, at least in part, although there is some evidence that a virus named Coxsackie B4 may be involved. It is felt that Type 2 diabetes results from particular lifestyle factors as well as genetics.
Recent research indicates that getting too little sleep may be a factor in onset of Type 2. There is a correlation between weight gain and sleep deprivation, the studies have revealed; but it's also implicated in the onset of Type 2 diabetes.
Insulin is a hormone that serves a regulating function in the flow of glucose from blood to cells. Carbohydrates go to the digestive system where they are processed. Insulin is released into the blood by the pancreas in response to the digestion of the carbohydrates and is used by the body's cells to turn the glucose from the blood into fuel or to be stored.
Abnormally high insulin levels may increase cell growth and fat storage. Low insulin levels bring on ketosis, also known as the fat-burning stage. If the process doesn't work because insulin levels are low or if the cells resist the insulin, glucose won't be absorbed by body cells that need it. When that happens, blood sugar levels soar. Blood volume is reduced, and water rushes in to replace it; this is what brings on increased thirst and urination, the most noticeable first symptoms of diabetes.