Diabetes mellitus is a disease that is brought about by either insufficient production of insulin (insulin secretory failure) or the inability of the body to respond to the insulin formed within the system (insulin resistance). Insulin helps the body to properly use the food that we eat for energy. Most of the food that you eat is broken down into glucose and other simple sugars.

When glucose enters the bloodstream, our body releases insulin from the pancreas which facilitates the glucose into your cells to use as energy. In diabetes, you lack insulin, or your insulin is unable to function properly, hence glucose cannot be used by cells for energy and will remain in your bloodstream causing your blood glucose levels to be increased.

If treated properly, your blood glucose can go down to normal levels but diabetes will always be part of your life. Millions of individuals live healthy and active lives with diabetes, and you can too! Make an effort to be involved in your treatment and learn all that you can about diabetes.

Diabetes is a serious condition that can be managed well with lifestyle modification, nutritional counseling, regular exercise, and medication. Those who do best are the individuals who take an active role in their own treatment. It is important to know how to manage your blood glucose levels. Treatment includes a special diabetic diet, exercise, regular blood glucose testing, medication and sometimes insulin injections, and rarely weight loss/ bariatric surgery.

Pre diabetes is when a person’s blood glucose levels are higher than normal but not high enough to be diagnosed as type 2 diabetes. People with Pre diabetes are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes and may experience some of the symptoms of diabetes already.

These diabetic pills work best when used with a healthy diet and regular exercise. Some pills inhibit the release of glucose from your liver, some slow the absorption of glucose in your gut and enhance the absorption of glucose in other parts of your body. Others stimulate your pancreas to produce additional insulin and help your cells respond better to the glucose load from your diet. Your doctor will prescribe the ones that are best suited to your needs.

There are several types of insulin. They are classified as rapid-acting, intermediate-acting, and long-acting. Rapid-acting and short-acting insulin begin to act very quickly after you inject them and last for a short time. They are usually taken to prevent an abnormal rise in glucose levels following meals. Intermediate and long-acting insulin have a gradual and longer-lasting effect on blood glucose levels. There used to be two popular kinds of insulin purified pork insulin (porcine) and human insulin. Pork insulin is not available for use anymore because Human Insulin is easily available. Human insulin is not actually from humans, but is developed in a laboratory (using recombinant DNA technology) and is considered the purest. Nowadays Analogue insulin, both fast-acting (Aspart, Lispro, and Glulisine) and long-acting (for 24 hours) (Glargine and Detemir) and Ultra long-acting insulin (Degludec) are being used. These are more advanced forms of insulins (sometimes called Designer Insulin) and their efficacy seems to be better than the human insulin but it is more expensive as well.

Diabetes can be prevented if you chose a healthy lifestyle, good exercise and a proper diet from the early stages onwards. Exercise is extremely important in controlling diabetes. You need at least half an hour exercise per day which helps you to sweat. About 80% of diabetes patients are obese. Studies show that increased weight is directly contributing to diabetes and weight loss can help prevent diabetes. Avoid eating trans fats (hydrogenated vegetable oil), food with sugar, and refined carbohydrates. Eating lots of fiber contained in raw fruits and vegetables can help in preventing diabetes.