Diabetes - Overview

Diabetes is a disease in which our bodies do not produce enough "Insulin" or effective insulin. Most of the components of your meal contain sugar. When you eat food, it is broken down into simple sugar called glucose. This glucose is taken by blood and it travels there freely till it is used by the cells to produce energy. Your cells use glucose to produce energy to do work such as our daily activities of walking, sitting, running and so on.Apart from this, your body needs glucose for the proper functioning all the organs such as brain, heart, muscles, kidneys, lungs and so on. However, insulin is required for the uptake of glucose by the cells. Without insulin our bodies are not able to use glucose effectively and our blood sugar levels increases. A gland in our bodies, known as, "Pancreas" produces the exact amount of insulin, to breakdown the sugar produced in the body. A particular type of cells, known as, Beta Cells produce insulin in pancreas.

Diabetes Prevention

Primary Prevention: Primary prevention is a very promising strategy to prevent or delay the onset of diabetes and its complications for individuals who are at risk of developing diabetes. It is beneficial for older people who are at risk of developing type II diabetes. No researches have concluded that type I diabetes can be prevented by any strategy. Timely intervention of primary prevention can not only prevent from diabetes but also reduce the risk of developing heart disease other associated disorders. The various components of primary prevention are lifestyle changes to maintain a healthy weight, healthy diet with proper nutrition, regular physical activity and health check- ups at desired intervals.

Secondary Prevention: Secondary prevention is targeted at the early detection of the complications associated with diabetes, so that they can be prevented. Secondary prevention ensures cost effectiveness in terms of reduced treatment cost and hospitalization requirements to treat the complications of diabetes and also helps a diabetic in attaining good quality of life. Researches have proved that diabetic individuals, who are able to manage their blood sugar levels effectively, have reduced incidence of complications related to diabetes and have a better quality of life.