What Are The Symptoms Of Type 1 Diabetes
Symptoms of type 1 diabetes are serious and usually happen quickly, over a few days to weeks. Symptoms can include
- increased thirst and urination
- trouble breathing
- trouble paying attention or feeling confused
DKA is serious and dangerous. If you or your child have symptoms of DKA, contact your health care professional right away, or go to the nearest hospital emergency room.
Will I Need Medication Or Insulin For Type 2 Diabetes
Some people take medication to manage diabetes, along with diet and exercise. Your healthcare provider may recommend oral diabetes medications. These are pills or liquids that you take by mouth. For example, a medicine called metformin helps control the amount of glucose your liver produces.
You can also take insulin to help your body use sugar more efficiently. Insulin comes in the following forms:
- Injectable insulin is a shot you give yourself. Most people inject insulin into a fleshy part of their body such as their belly. Injectable insulin is available in a vial or an insulin pen.
- Inhaled insulin is inhaled through your mouth. It is only available in a rapid-acting form.
- Insulin pumps deliver insulin continuously, similar to how a healthy pancreas would. Pumps release insulin into your body through a tiny cannula . Pumps connect to a computerized device that lets you control the dose and frequency of insulin.
Causes Of Type 2 Diabetes
People with type 2 diabetes have insulin resistance. The body still produces insulin, but its unable to use it effectively.
Researchers arent sure why some people become insulin resistant and others dont, but several lifestyle factors may contribute, including being inactive and carrying excess weight.
Other genetic and environmental factors may also play a role. When you develop type 2 diabetes, your pancreas will try to compensate by producing more insulin. Because your body is unable to effectively use insulin, glucose will accumulate in your bloodstream.
Type 2 diabetes is much more common than type 1.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions , 34.2 million people in the United States were living with diagnosed or undiagnosed diabetes in 2018. Thats a little over 1 in 10 people. Ninety to 95 percent of people with diabetes have type 2.
The percentage of people with diabetes increases with age.
About 10.5 percent of the general population has diabetes. Among those 65 years old and older, the rate reaches 26.8 percent. Only 25 out of every 10,000 Americans under 20 years old had been diagnosed with diabetes in 2018.
Men and women get diabetes at roughly the same rate. However, prevalence rates are higher among certain races and ethnicities.
Prevalence rates are higher for Hispanic Americans of Mexican or Puerto Rican descent than they are for those of Central and South American or Cuban descent.
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After you are diagnosed with diabetes, by following a healthy lifestyle, which includes a healthy diet along with exercise, you may be able to decrease your blood glucose levels to within normal range. Utilizing SMBG , you can see how different foods, as well as meals, influence your blood glucose levels. Doing SMBG along with a healthy diet and exercise is key to getting your diabetes under good control.
Although your blood glucose levels can appear in the normal range, this does not mean that your prior history of diabetes wont return. Type 2 diabetes can go into remission with lifestyle management. But the remission stage can easily be reversed if you dont stay on track with your healthy lifestyle.
If you would like help lowering your blood glucose levels with diet, make an appointment with a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist . Visit www.eatright.org to find a RDN in your locale.
What Is Latent Autoimmune Diabetes In Adults
Many doctors consider LADA the adult form of type 1 diabetes because its also an autoimmune condition.
As in type 1 diabetes, the islet cells in the pancreas of people with LADA are destroyed. However, this process occurs much more slowly. Once it starts, it can take several months up to several years for the pancreas to stop being able to make insulin.
Other experts consider LADA somewhere in between type 1 and type 2 and even call it type 1.5 diabetes. These researchers believe that diabetes can occur along a spectrum.
Researchers are still trying to figure out the details, but in general, LADA is known to:
- develop in adulthood
- have a slower course of onset than type 1 diabetes
- often occur in people who arent overweight
- often occur in people who dont have other metabolic issues, such as high blood pressure and high triglycerides
- result in a positive test for antibodies against the islet cells
The symptoms of LADA are similar to those of type 2 diabetes, including:
- excessive thirst
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Managing Type 2 Diabetes
Many people with type 2 diabetes can manage their blood glucose levels with diet and exercise alone. Others may need diabetes pills or insulin injections, along with medicines to manage other conditions like high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Over time, a person with diabetes may need both lifestyle changes and medication.
Once youve been told you have diabetes, a health care team will work with you to create a diabetes management plan. Your plan will be based on your lifestyle, preferences, health goals, and other health conditions you have.
As part of your plan, your doctor may prescribe one or more medications. Other health care professionals may also be involved. For example, a diabetes educator may help you understand diabetes and provide support as you make lifestyle changes to manage your diabetes. A dietitian may help with meal planning. An exercise coach may help you become more physically active.
Can Diabetes Type 2 Be Reversed Experts Answer
It is the burning question most, if not all, people with diabetes type 2 have: can my diabetes be reversed?
There is so much information, thousands of articles, home remedies that promise readers the ultimate chance to reverse their diabetes. It sounds too good to be true.
However, as with all things on the net and with our health, we must be wary of what we read and what is fed to us as information. Most articles recommend healthy eating and exercising as a way of reversing your diabetes.
These are two lifestyle changes that are easy to do if you put your mind into it. Does it work though? If it does, how can you go about doing this or where should you start? We reached out to 28 experts in the field who spilled the beans to us about the reversal of diabetes type 2 and whether it is a myth or a reality. To find out more, please keep reading.
Diabetes is a progressive disease however it CAN be reversed. Bariatric surgery results have proven that losing weight in morbidly obese patients with Type 2 Diabetes reverses the disease state. Bariatric surgery outcomes have been studied over 10 years with lower rates of mortality and morbidity. Bypass surgery patients normalize blood sugars within days of the procedure.
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Talk To Your Healthcare Provider
Let your physician or healthcare provider know that you are traveling and ask about any special insulin instructions or precautions you should take, especially if you are traveling to a different time zone. Make sure you have prescriptions for your medications and supplies in case you need to have them filled away from home. Its also a good idea to have a letter from your provider that says you have diabetes and includes a list of your medications and supplies, as well as an emergency plan. Share this information with your traveling companions.
How Type 2 Diabetes Happens
The vast majority of symptoms and complications of type 2 diabetes are caused by a condition called insulin resistance, caused by the accumulation of excess fat in tissues that are not designed to store large quantities of fat, namely your muscle and liver.
This accumulation of fat most often results from a low-carbohydrate diet, a Paleo diet, a ketogenic diet, or a diet containing artificial sweeteners.
In addition to your diet, a sedentary lifestyle is also associated with excess fat in your liver and muscle.
In its early stages, type 2 diabetes is referred to as non-insulin-dependent, when beta cells in your pancreas are able to secrete sufficient insulin to counteract insulin resistance.
In later stages, type 2 diabetes can become classified as insulin-dependent, when beta cells become compromised in their ability to secrete insulin.
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Diabetes Type 2 is a condition that cannot be cured however, it can be IMPROVED.
This could happen when there is an improvement in insulin sensitivity. Diets that are high in carbohydrates cause weight gain, mainly around the abdominal area.
This causes the Beta cells in your pancreas to produce more insulin. The higher your insulin, the hungrier you feel, the more you eat, and the more weight you gain. Due to the already increasing amounts of insulin your bodys cells then respond to this process refusing the insulin.
This is called insulin resistance. Insulin resistance causes your blood sugar to rise. You can reverse this process by adopting a diet that is low in carbohydrates and high in fiber, weight loss, and regular exercise. Some people who need to lose more than 100 pounds might need to get bariatric surgery to help the weight loss process.
Diabetes Type 2 might be reversible but not cured because when you gain the weight back, neglecting your diet and exercise, insulin resistance attacks again.
Type 2 Diabetes Can Be A ‘devastating Diagnosis’ Says Expert
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“We propose that for most patients with type 2 diabetes, without cardiovascular disease, the main treatment focus should be managing the key underlying abnormality and driver of the disease: obesity,” said Dr ldiko Lingvay. The co-author of the study based at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Centre added: “Such an approach would have the added benefit of addressing not just high blood sugar, but other obesity-related complications.” Obesity-related complications include:
- Fatty liver disease
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Type 1 And Type 2 Differences
Below is a guide to some of the main differences between type 1 and type 2.
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Your body attacks the cells in your pancreas which means it cannot make any insulin. |
Your body is unable to make enough insulin or the insulin you do make doesnt work properly. |
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We dont currently know what causes type 1 diabetes. |
We know some things can put you at risk of having type 2 like weight and ethnicity. |
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The symptoms for type 1 appear more quickly. |
Type 2 symptoms can be easier to miss because they appear more slowly. |
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Type 1 is managed by taking insulin to control your blood sugar. |
You can manage type 2 diabetes in more ways than type 1. These include through medication, exercise and diet. People with type 2 can also be prescribed insulin. |
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Currently there is no cure for type 1 but research continues. |
Type 2 cannot be cured but there is evidence to say in many cases it can be prevented and put into remission. |
What Happens After You Reverse Type 2 Diabetes
Type 2 diabetes reversal doesnt happen all at once, but youll start to notice changes in the short-term.
Youll need less medication for diabetes management, healthy insulin levels, and youll probably experience healthy weight loss and have more energy. You also might notice that your mood has changed for the better, and your immune health has improved.
Ultimately, if you stick with a low-fat, plant-based, whole-food diet and daily movement, youll notice long-term improvements in your overall health, fitness, and mood, and turn type 2 diabetes to a thing of the past.
However, one thing thats very important is making those changes stick, because youre never out of the woods so to speak, especially as the body ages. The same lifestyle changes that caused type 2 diabetes can cause them again, even after being reversed.
Hopefully, this shouldnt sound scary. We believe that the benefits of a proper diet and daily movement are positive and self-supporting. You wont need medication anymore, or have to fear for your health. And when you maintain good base health, a red-light meal every once in a while wont be dangerous.
Still, we understand that this can be a significant change, and its not always easy to make changes and stay committed. Thats why we founded Mastering Diabetes.
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No, type 2 diabetes is not reversible, but it can be controlled and that is what everyone should aim for. An A1C of 6.4 or even a 5.5 shows control and is something to be very proud of. It may mean you can come off your medication, or stop checking 4 times a day, but you still have diabetes.
Your diabetes is in control and you still need to monitor it daily or once a week. A perfect example is a patient who thru weight loss, and following his meal plan was able to get his A1C down below 6.5. His doctor was very happy and took him off his medications and told him he didnt need to check his sugar.
About a year later, he came to our classes after losing part of his foot and was severely depressed. He was depressed because he put his meter and his diabetes up on the shelf in the closet and forgot about it, he thought he had reversed it.
Who Falls Into Which Group
The new classification system for diabetes consists of five total subgroups. The first group is solely dedicated to autoimmune types of diabetes: type 1 and LADA.
The remaining four groups, however, pertain to all type 2 patients and categorizes them based on the severity of their insulin resistance, average blood sugar levels , whether theyre obese and if so, their relative age, and whether their diabetes is due to old age.
For instance, some may be first prescribed oral diabetes medications like metformin , when their degree of insulin resistance can only be aided by insulin injections.
The delay in finding the right treatment plan can be months to years depending on the relationship and communication between doctor and patient, and how quickly the lack of efficacy is noted in their current treatment plan.
These delays place patients at an increased risk of complications from elevated blood sugar, including damage to eyesight, kidney function, blood vessels, peripheral nerves, as well as fingers and toes.
Current diagnostics and classification of diabetes are insufficient and unable to predict future complications or choice of treatment, explained Groop.
Using approximately 13,000 newly diagnosed diabetes patients in their study, the researchers grouped participants based on the various factors. They found that the most insulin-resistant participants in Group 3 would benefit the most from this pinpointed and focused diagnostic system.
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What Is Type 1 Diabetes
The two types of diabetes are type 1 and type 2. Both make blood sugar levels higher than normal but they do so in different ways.
In type 1 diabetes, the pancreas loses its ability to make insulin because the body’s immune system attacks and destroys the cells that produce insulin. No one knows exactly why this happens, but scientists think it has something to do with genes. But just getting the genes for diabetes isn’t usually enough. A person probably would then have to be exposed to something else like a virus to get type 1 diabetes.
In type 2 diabetes, the pancreas still makes insulin but the body doesn’t respond to it normally. Glucose is less able to enter the cells and do its job of supplying energy . This raises the blood sugar level, so the pancreas works hard to make even more insulin. Eventually, this strain can make the pancreas unable to produce enough insulin to keep blood sugar levels normal.
Symptoms And Risk Factors
It can take months or years for enough beta cells to be destroyed before symptoms of type 1 diabetes are noticed. Type 1 diabetes symptoms can develop in just a few weeks or months. Once symptoms appear, they can be severe.
Some type 1 diabetes symptoms are similar to symptoms of other health conditions. Dont guessif you think you could have type 1 diabetes, see your doctor right away to get your blood sugar tested. Untreated diabetes can lead to very seriouseven fatalhealth problems.
Risk factors for type 1 diabetes are not as clear as for prediabetes and type 2 diabetes, though family history is known to play a part.
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Are The Same Tests Used To Diagnose Both Types
A fasting blood sugar measurement can be used to diagnose any type of diabetes. This test measures the level of sugar in the bloodstream in the morning before eating breakfast. Normal fasting plasma glucose levels are less than 100 milligrams per deciliter . Fasting plasma glucose levels of more than 126 mg/dl on two or more tests on different days indicate diabetes. A random blood glucose test can also be used to diagnose diabetes. A blood glucose level of 200 mg/dl or higher indicates diabetes.
Another test that is often used is a blood test to measure levels of glycated hemoglobin . This test provides a measure of the average levels of blood glucose over the past 3 months. Other names for the A1C test are HbA1C and glycosylated hemoglobin test.
Tests to identify the abnormal antibodies produced by the immune system are used to diagnose type 1 diabetes. Some of the antibodies seen in type 1 diabetes include anti-islet cell antibodies, anti-insulin antibodies and anti-glutamic decarboxylase antibodies.
Type 1 treatment: Insulin is the treatment of choice for type 1 diabetes, because the body responds appropriately to insulin and the problem is a lack of insulin production by the pancreas.