Diabetes Facts & Guidelines

Diabetes is a condition in which your body does not produce or use the insulin needed to process the sugar that you eat. The American Diabetes Association estimates that more than 23 million Americans suffer from diabetes. If left untreated, diabetes can lead to more serious complications, including kidney disease, blindness, high blood pressure and gum disease. Fortunately, your doctor can help you control your diabetes with insulin, diet and exercise.

Symptoms

There are several warning signs that may indicate you have diabetes. If you are always extremely thirsty and hungry, excessively tired or losing weight for no reason, or have to urinate frequently, you should see your doctor and get tested . Having two or more of these symptoms may mean that you have diabetes. In addition, your risk of having diabetes increases if you have a family history of the disease, are overweight or have high blood pressure.

Diagnosis

Your doctor will check for diabetes by administering either a fasting glucose test or an oral-glucose tolerance test. The former requires you to have blood drawn after an eight- to 10-hour fast. A glucose level over 100 milligrams per deciliter indicates a pre-diabetic condition, while a glucose level over 126 indicates diabetes. A healthy glucose level is between 79 and 99.
In an oral-glucose tolerance test your glucose levels are measured after fasting. You are then given a drink with a high glucose content. After two hours, your glucose levels are measured again. A glucose level between 140 and 199 indicates pre-diabetes and above 200 means diabetes.
Most pregnant women are tested for gestational diabetes during pregnancy. This test is a modified version of the oral glucose test and requires you to fast for a few hours before you drink a high-glucose drink. Your glucose levels are tested only once, an hour after you finish your drink. If your glucose level is above 140 you will need to have further testing.

Types

Types of diabetes include types 1, 2 and gestational. Type 1 diabetes usually develops in children and young adults whose bodies do not produce insulin, while type 2 diabetes typically develops in adults whose bodies cannot produce enough insulin or whose bodies reject their insulin. According to the Centers for Disease Control, type 2 diabetes is the most common, accounting for 90 to 95 percent of diabetics. It is often preceded by pre-diabetes, a condition where glucose levels are higher than normal.
Gestational diabetes develops late in pregnancy for a small percentage of women when their bodies do not produce enough insulin.

Treatments

Because people with type 1 diabetes do not produce insulin they need insulin shots to regulate their blood sugar. Diet and exercise also help regulate the type 1 version. Those with type 2 or gestational diabetes produce some insulin and may be able to control their blood sugar with diet and exercise. Type 2 diabetics may also be prescribed insulin to help regulate their glucose levels.
All diabetics should work closely with their doctors to develop a plan to safely control their glucose levels.

Prevention

Currently, there are no known ways to prevent type 1 diabetes, while the risk of type 2 diabetes can be reduced with diet and exercise. People who are obese are at a higher risk for developing diabetes, but losing weight or following a diet low in refined sugar can reduce that risk.
The CDC recommends adults eat a balanced diet and get two and a half hours of moderate aerobic exercise and two days of muscle-strengthening exercise per week.