Diabetes is a problem that causes the sugar levels in the blood to be too high. There are two main types of diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is the most common.
If you have type 2 diabetes, your body resists the effects of a hormone called insulin. Insulin tells the body to take sugar out of the blood and use it or store it. When the body is resistant to insulin, then the sugar is not taken out of the blood. Instead, it stays in the blood. Then there is too much sugar in the blood – high blood sugar.
The extra sugar in the blood causes a lot of damage to the body. Sugar is sticky, and the sticky sugar damages the blood vessels. When the blood vessels are damaged, many parts of the body can’t get enough blood to work well.
This causes people with diabetes to have many problems. The eyes can be damaged, leading to blindness. The kidneys can be damaged, which makes you sick because your body can’t get rid of toxins. The feet may be cold, and wounds on the feet may not heal, because blood flow is needed to bring in nutrients and cells for healing.
The extra sugar in the blood also damages nerves. This can cause diabetic nerve pain, where you have pain when nothing is actually hurting you.
To treat type 2 diabetes, some people take medicine that helps the body use up the blood sugar. Some people need to take extra insulin, using a small needle to inject it several times a day.
It can also help to change what you eat. If you eat less sugar, there will not be as much sugar in your blood. You also need to eat less starch, such as bread and pasta, because the body turns starch into sugar.
Changing your diet can make a big difference, and can prevent the health problems caused by diabetes. Exercise and losing weight also help to make the body more sensitive to insulin.