What is diabetes?
Diabetes is a disease characterized by higher than normal levels of glucose (sugar) in the blood. It results from the inability of glucose to enter your cells. As a result, your cells are hungry for their food (glucose). It’s as if tables full of delicious food surround a hungry person, but their mouth is sewn shut and they can’t eat.
It is estimated that about 17 million Americans have diabetes and one-third of these patients don’t even know it. Diabetes can lead to serious health complications, including heart disease, blindness, kidney failure and lower limb amputation. Diabetes is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. And most people with diabetes develop heart disease. In fact, just being diabetic carries the same risk of having a heart attack as someone who has already had one. Therefore, it is very important that diabetic patients also have a physician who closely monitors and treats their cholesterol and blood pressure levels. In addition, any use of tobacco products multiplies the risk and should be stopped.
Are there different diabetes?
There certainly are. But the basic characteristics of the disease are the same. Regardless of the form of diabetes, there is an underlying reason your body cannot use glucose (sugar) as an energy source, which causes your blood glucose (sugar) levels to rise above normal. It is important that you understand three aspects of diabetes. First, the cells in your body that use glucose are important because they must be able to take the sugar out of the blood and put it inside the cell for fuel. Second, the insulin made by the pancreas (an organ near the stomach) is important to allow the sugar to enter the cell (the key to unlock the door). Finally, glucose from food, muscle and liver is broken down into glucose storage called glycogen. If you think of diabetes as a locked gas cap on your car, you will understand better.
If you understand how a locked gas cap works, then you can understand how diabetes works. Every cell in your body has a locked gas cap. Insulin is the key to that cap and glucose is the fuel for the car. In one form of diabetes, the body stops producing insulin (the key) altogether, which prevents glucose (the fuel) from entering the cells. In other forms of diabetes, the body produces some insulin (keys), but not as much as it needs. Therefore, only a few cells can be unlocked and opened to let glucose (fuel) in. Also, some locks on the cells become rusty and no longer work properly. So even if you have insulin (the keys), you can’t get the cells to open. We call this insulin resistance. If the cells don’t open, glucose (fuel) can’t get into the cell to produce energy. The result is too much glucose in your blood.
Types of diabetes.
We usually diagnose type 1 diabetes in children and young adults and accounts for only 5-10% of diabetes patients. In type 1 diabetes, the pancreas does not produce insulin (key) at all.
Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of the disease. It accounts for 90 to 95 percent of all cases of diabetes. In type 2 diabetes, either your body doesn’t produce enough insulin (keys) or your body’s cells ignore the insulin (the lock is rusty and doesn’t work) so they can’t use the glucose as they should. When your cells ignore insulin, as mentioned above, it is often called insulin resistance.
Other types of diabetes that account for only a few diabetes cases include gestational diabetes, which is a type of diabetes that only pregnant women get. If left untreated, it can cause problems for mothers and babies and usually goes away when the pregnancy is over. Other types of diabetes resulting from specific genetic syndromes, surgeries, medications, malnutrition, infections and other diseases may account for 1 to 2 percent of all diabetes cases.
How do you get diabetes?
There are risk factors that increase the risk of developing diabetes. Risk factors for type 2 diabetes include advanced age, obesity, family history of diabetes, history of gestational diabetes, glucose intolerance, physical inactivity, and race/ethnicity. Risk factors are less well defined for type 1 diabetes than for type 2 diabetes, but autoimmune, genetic and environmental factors are involved in the development of this type of diabetes.
What are the symptoms of diabetes?
People who think they have diabetes should see a doctor for a diagnosis. They may have some or NONE of the following symptoms: frequent urination, excessive thirst, unexplained weight loss, extreme hunger, sudden changes in vision, tingling or numbness in the hands or feet, feeling exhausted most of the time, parched skin, sores that take a long time to heal, more infections than usual Nausea, vomiting or stomach pain may accompany some of these symptoms in the sudden onset of type 1 diabetes.
Glucose is sugar! So all I have to do is avoid sweets, right?
It’s not that simple. Most foods, and all the carbohydrates you eat, are broken down into their simplest structure, glucose. When food arrives in your stomach, the acid immediately breaks it down. Protein is broken down into amino acids and carbohydrates are broken down into glucose. Once your gastrointestinal system has broken down your food into something your body can use, the blood absorbs it and delivers it to your cells for energy. In healthy people, the blood picks up glucose absorbed from the digestive tract and signals the pancreas (an organ near the stomach) to make and release insulin.
In type 2 diabetes, your body either doesn’t make enough insulin (the keys), or some of your cells ignore the insulin that is present. (In either case, your cells don’t get the glucose they need for energy and they starve, while all the extra glucose floats around in your blood and can’t be used. The worst part is that when all that extra glucose is floating around in your blood, it damages your blood vessels and organs, increasing your risk of heart disease. That’s why it’s very important to keep your blood glucose levels as close to normal as possible. When blood glucose levels are very high, glucose escapes in the urine.
How do I treat diabetes?
There are several things you should do to help control your diabetes. For type 1 diabetes, a healthy diet, physical activity and insulin injections are the basic treatments. They should balance the amount of insulin taken with food intake and daily activities. For patients with type 1 diabetes, they should closely monitor blood sugar levels with frequent blood sugar testing.
For type 2 diabetes, healthy eating, physical activity and blood glucose testing are the basic therapies. In addition, many people with type 2 diabetes need oral medications, insulin or both to control their blood sugar. Some of the oral medications work by stimulating your pancreas to produce more insulin (key). Other oral medications make rusty locks start working again. They are like WD-40 for rusty cell locks. They fix the locks on the cells so that insulin (the keys) can open the cell and let glucose (fuel) in. Once the glucose (fuel) is allowed into the cells, your blood glucose level goes back down to normal.
What medications will I need to take for my diabetes?
There are many types of medications that your doctor may prescribe for diabetes. However, these prescriptions can lead to certain nutritional deficiencies that can increase your risk of chronic degenerative diseases. Nutra® Diabetes Essential Nutrients® works with your diabetes medications by replacing lost nutrients, reducing the risk of dangerous side effects and promoting better health.
The major classes of diabetes medications are sulfonylureas, biguanide and thiazolidinedione.
Sulfonylureas include the following drugs:
Orinase ,Tolinase, Diabinese, glipizide, Glyburide, Amaryl, Prandin, Strarlix
The primary function of sulfonylureas is to increase insulin production in the beta cells of the pancreas. Sulfonylureas can interfere with the normal metabolism of Coenzyme Q10 in the body. Since we need CoQ10 for energy production in all body tissues, this effect can decrease your body’s natural ability to use or “burn” sugars, and may even reduce the pancreas’ ability to produce insulin.
Biguanide includes the following drugs:
Glucophage (metformin)
Glucovance (metformin + glyburide)
The primary purpose of biguanide is to decrease the production of glucose by the liver, lowering blood glucose levels. Your doctor may prescribe this type of medication in combination with sulfonylureas, insulin, or a class of drugs called thiazolidinedione. Unfortunately, biguanide has been shown to deplete vitamin B-12, folic acid and coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10). Some problems that can result from folate and vitamin B-12 deficiency are heart disease, stroke, anemia, arthritis, joint pain, muscle pain and neuropathy (nerve damage). Because diabetes increases the risk of heart disease, stroke, and neuropathy, it is especially important to prevent nutritional deficiencies that can worsen these risk factors. Therefore, to reduce the potential side effects of nutrient deficiencies, take Nutra® Diabetes Essential Nutrients® as long as you are taking your diabetes medication.
Since both types of medications mentioned above can deplete CoQ10, it is important to understand some symptoms of a deficiency. We have associated coQ10 deficiency with the following diseases and symptoms: congestive heart failure, high blood pressure, rhabdomyolysis (muscle breakdown), muscle and joint pain, and fatigue. Therefore, to get the most out of your diabetes medications and minimize the potential side effects of nutrient deficiencies, supplement your prescription medications with Nutra® Diabetes Essential Nutrients®. By doing so, you will further balance the risk/benefit ratio in your favor.
In summary, the diabetes medications prescribed by your doctor are necessary to treat your disease; however, you should also know potential long-term nutritional side effects may be as important a risk factor for your health as the disease you are treating. Take the chance and maintain your health with Nutra® Diabetes Essential Nutrients®.
How do I know if my blood sugar is under control?
Frequent blood tests are used to monitor your blood glucose levels. Most patients with diabetes should have a home blood monitoring kit. Some doctors ask their patients to check their blood sugar up to 6 times a day, but this is an extreme measure. The more information you have about your blood sugar, the easier it is to control it. People with diabetes need to take responsibility for their daily care and keep their blood sugar from getting too low or too high.
When your blood sugar is too high, your doctor calls it hyperglycemia. When your blood sugar is too high, you may not feel any symptoms, but the high levels of glucose in your blood are damaging your blood vessels and organs. That’s why it’s important for your body to use sugar properly and get it out of your bloodstream.
When your blood sugar is too low, your doctor calls it hypoglycemia. Hypoglycemia can be very dangerous and patients taking diabetes medications should watch for symptoms of hypoglycemia. It is also important that you monitor your blood sugar levels regularly to avoid hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia. It is important that you keep your blood sugar as close to normal as possible at all times.
How will my doctor know if I have my blood sugar under control?
Some patients may not diet or exercise except for the days before a blood test in the doctor’s office. They want to look like they have excellent control of their blood sugar. So their fasting blood glucose test results will look good to the doctor. But there is a test that will show your doctor what the actual situation has been over the last three months. It’s called the hemoglobin A1C (HbA1C) test. Hemoglobin is the part of your blood, or red blood cells, that carries oxygen to your cells. Glucose sticks to the hemoglobin in your red blood cells as they leave the bone marrow where they are made.
The amount of sugar on the red blood cell is proportional to the level of sugar in the blood when the red blood cell enters circulation, and remains at that level for the life of the red blood cell. Therefore, if you have received a lot of extra glucose in your blood, there will be a lot of glucose stuck in your hemoglobin. Since the average lifespan of hemoglobin in the blood is 90 to 100 days, the HbA1C test shows the doctor how well you have controlled your blood sugar over the past three months. This test checks overall blood glucose control, not just fasting blood glucose. So it’s important to check your blood sugar at all times, not just before you see a doctor. The most important reason to control your blood sugar is that you can live a longer, healthier life without the complications that can be caused by not controlling your diabetes.
What happens if I don’t control my diabetes?
Complications from diabetes can be devastating. Both forms of diabetes eventually lead to high blood sugar levels, a condition called hyperglycemia. The damage that high blood sugar causes to the body is extensive and includes.
Diabetes damage to the retina (diabetic retinopathy) is a leading cause of blindness.
Diabetes predisposes people to high blood pressure and high cholesterol and triglyceride levels. These factors, taken separately and in combination with high blood sugar, increase the risk of heart disease, kidney disease and other blood vessel complications.
Autonomic nervous system nerve damage can lead to stomach paralysis (gastroparesis), chronic diarrhea, and an inability to control heart rate and blood pressure through changes in posture.
Diabetic kidney damage (diabetic nephropathy) is a leading cause of kidney failure.
Nerve damage caused by diabetes (diabetic neuropathy) is the major cause of lack of normal sensation in the foot, which can lead to sores and ulcers, and all too often to amputations of the foot and leg.
Diabetes speeds up atherosclerosis, or “hardening of the arteries,” and the formation of fatty plaques inside the arteries, which can lead to blockages or clot formation (thrombus), which can then lead to heart attack, stroke and decreased circulation in the arms and legs (peripheral vascular disease).
Hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar, occurs from time to time in most people with diabetes. It is caused by taking too much diabetes medication or insulin, missing a meal, exercising more than usual, drinking too much alcohol, or taking certain medications for other conditions. It is very important to recognize hypoglycemia and be prepared to treat it. Headaches, dizziness, trouble concentrating, shaky hands and sweating are common symptoms of low blood sugar. You may faint or have a seizure if your blood sugar gets too low.
Diabetic ketoacidosis is a serious condition in which uncontrolled hyperglycemia (usually because of a complete lack of insulin or relative insulin deficiency) creates a buildup of acidic waste products called ketones in the blood. High levels of ketones can be very dangerous. This usually peoples with type 1 diabetes who do not control their blood sugar well. Infection, stress, trauma, lack of medications can precipitate diabetic ketoacidosis such as insulin, or medical emergencies such as a stroke or heart attack.
Nonketotic hyperglycemic hyperosmolar syndrome is a serious condition in which blood sugar levels become very high. The body tries to get rid of the excess sugar in the blood by excreting it in the urine. This increases the amount of urine and often leads to dehydration so severe that it can cause seizures, coma and even death. This syndrome usually occurs in people with type 2 diabetes who do not control their blood sugar, have become dehydrated, or have experienced stress, injury, stroke, or are taking medications such as steroids.
My doctor says I have pre-diabetes? What is it?
Pre-diabetes is a common condition related to diabetes. In people with pre-diabetes, blood sugar levels are higher than normal, but not high enough to be considered diabetes. Pre-diabetes increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and of having heart disease or stroke. Pre-diabetes can be reversed without insulin or medication by losing some weight and increasing physical activity. This can prevent, or at least delay, the onset of type 2 diabetes. When associated with certain other abnormalities, it is also called metabolic syndrome.
What is normal blood sugar? The amount of glucose (sugar) in your blood changes throughout the day and night. Your levels vary depending on when, what and how much you’ve eaten, and whether you’ve been exercising. The American Diabetes Association’s categories for normal blood sugar levels are as follows, based on how your glucose levels are tested:
A fasting blood sugar test: they do this test after you have been fasting (without food or liquid other than water) for eight hours. Normal fasting blood glucose is less than 100 mg/dl. They made a diagnosis of diabetes if your blood glucose level is 126 mg/dl or higher (In 1997, the American Diabetes Association lowered the level at which they diagnosed diabetes from 140 mg/dl to 126 mg/dl).
A “random” blood glucose test can be done.
A normal blood glucose level is between 100 and 100 mg.
They make a diagnosis of diabetes if your blood sugar is 200 mg/dl or higher and you have symptoms of the disease such as fatigue, excessive urination, excessive thirst or unexpected weight loss.
Another test, called an oral glucose tolerance test, may be done instead. For this test, they will ask you, after fasting overnight, to drink a sugar water solution. We will then measure your blood glucose level for several hours. In a non-diabetic person, the glucose level rises and then falls rapidly after drinking the solution. In a person with diabetes, the blood glucose level rises higher than normal and does not fall as quickly.
A normal blood glucose reading two hours after drinking the solution is less than 140 mg/dl, and all readings between the start of the test and two hours after the start are less than 200 mg/dl. Diabetes is diagnosed if your blood glucose is 200 mg/dl or higher.
What else should I do if I have diabetes?
People with diabetes should see a health care provider who will monitor their control and help them learn to manage their diabetes. In addition, people with diabetes can see endocrinologists, who may specialize in treating diabetes, ophthalmologists for eye exams, podiatrists for routine foot care, and dieticians and diabetes educators who teach the skills needed for daily diabetes management.
Diabetes, and its precursor, metabolic syndrome, can lead to a multitude of problems if not properly controlled. These include vascular disease leading to heart attacks and strokes, kidney damage leading to kidney failure, nerve damage (neuropathy), retinal damage leading to blindness, high blood pressure, and various metabolic defects such as high triglycerides or cholesterol. It is therefore crucial to control diabetes and all other risk factors for an arterial disease that lead to heart attacks and strokes.
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To do this, your doctor will stress the need for a good diet and regular exercise. We add medications to lower blood sugar, and if these are insufficient, insulin or other injectable medications will be needed. Medications that treat diabetes can lead to folic acid depletion, which can cause high levels of homocysteine, which is a risk factor for an arterial disease that causes heart attacks and strokes. You can tip the odds in your favor by taking Nutra® Essential Diabetes Nutrients along with the medications prescribed by your doctor.
