Diabetes is a chronic disease with four main types. This condition develops among people who cannot utilize the glucose in their food to be used as energy. The illness develops when the accumulated glucose stays in the person’s bloodstream for a long time.
Over a period of time, this amount of glucose can bring potential harm to the person’s other organs such as the eyes, kidneys, heart, and even the nerves themselves.
The condition is a growing problem in the US and some other countries. With the population at an all-time high in weight gain and a low in health care, the problem is only growing.
After having sufficient knowledge about the illness and how the disease develops, let’s look at the types of diabetes experts and physicians acknowledged.
Four Types of Diabetes
Today, there are four main types of diabetes acknowledged by experts and physicians. They include type 1, type 2, gestational diabetes, and pre-diabetes.
Type 1 diabetes
Type 1 diabetes otherwise known as “juvenile diabetes” or “insulin-dependent diabetes,” is considered the least common type of diabetes that exists.
Experts say that it is an auto-immune disease that makes the body’s immune system which serves as a shield against infection go out of working order, thus, savaging the cells located in the pancreas which is responsible for producing insulin.
For people especially those who are prone to diabetes, insulin is very important in breaking down the food once eaten.
People who suffer from type 1 diabetes have the inability to make insulin. Thus, their bodies are easily damaged by the accumulation of glucose in the body.
Since they need insulin to get by, people who are suffering from this type of diabetes need a regular supply of insulin. Children and young adults are prone to this type of diabetes but this occurs at any age or can be a result of an illness. Research reported that 5-10% of Americans who are diagnosed with diabetes have type 1 diabetes.
Having type 1 diabetes increases your risk for many serious complications. Some complications of type 1 diabetes include heart disease (cardiovascular disease), blindness (retinopathy), nerve damage (neuropathy), and kidney damage (nephropathy).
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The common symptoms of Type 1 diabetes sufferers exhibit include onset thirst, often urination, and drastic weight loss.
Type 2 diabetes
Type 2 diabetes, which is also known as “non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus” and “adult-onset diabetes”. What sets it apart from type 1 diabetes the other types of diabetes ( especially type 1 diabetes) is that the person suffering from this has the ability to make insulin but couldn’t produce enough for the body to use efficiently.
This type is considered as the common type of diabetes and most Americans who are diagnosed with diabetes have type 2 diabetes. This type usually develops among people who are more than 40 years of age.
People who are prone to this type of diabetes are usually those who are overweight or obese and those who have a sedentary lifestyle.
Being a progressive disease, type 2 diabetes can also lead to more severe complications such as heart disease (cardiovascular disease), blindness (retinopathy), nerve damage (neuropathy), amputation or loss of limbs, and kidney damage (nephropathy).
People who suffer from type 2 diabetes are also characterized by slow or onset thirstiness, repeated urination, and loss of weight usually develops in a span of weeks.
Gestational diabetes
Gestational diabetes affects about 4% of all pregnant women – about 135,000 cases in the United States each year.
It develops during pregnancy. Normally, this type of diabetes ends after giving birth but there are also those cases in some women that develop this type of diabetes as they get older.
Gestational diabetes can hurt you and your baby, so you need to start treatment quickly. Treatment for gestational diabetes aims to keep blood glucose levels equal to those of pregnant women who don’t have gestational diabetes.
Treatment for gestational diabetes always includes special meal plans and scheduled physical activity. It may also include daily blood glucose testing and insulin injections.
You will need help from your doctor, nurse educator, and other members of your health care team so that your treatment for gestational diabetes can be changed as needed.
For the mother-to-be, treatment for gestational diabetes helps lower the risk of a cesarean section birth that very large babies may require. Sticking with your treatment for gestational diabetes will give you a healthy pregnancy and birth, and may help your baby avoid future poor health.
Although this type of diabetes is common among pregnant women, it should be monitored because there’s a big chance of leading to type 2 diabetes. To learn how to prevent gestational diabetes, check out Pregnancy Diet: Manage Cravings to Prevent Gestational Diabetes
Pre-diabetes
Pre-diabetes is a condition that occurs when a person’s blood glucose levels are higher than normal but not high enough for a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes. There are 41 million Americans who have pre-diabetes, in addition to the 20.8 million with diabetes.
In addition to the four types of diabetes mentioned, other types are;
Monogenic diabetes – A rare, inherited form of diabetes caused by a single gene mutation. Examples include MODY (Maturity Onset Diabetes of the Young) and neonatal diabetes.
Secondary diabetes – Caused by another condition, medication, or surgery that damages the pancreas. Examples include pancreatitis, cystic fibrosis, and steroid-induced diabetes.
Learn more on how to naturally lower blood glucose level
What is the way forward?
If you have not yet confirmed your diabetes status and you feel any or some of the symptoms mentioned, the first thing to do is to test yourself.
You can either choose to visit the hospital for testing or you test yourself in the comfort of your home or environment with any of these testing kits:
- Pro Voice V9 Diabetes Testing Kit
- Pro Voice V8 Diabetes Testing Kit
- Oh’Care Lite Blood Glucose Monitor Kit With Control Solution
This will provide you with instant accurate results of your diabetes status. These testing kits are easy to use, painless and reliable.
However, if the test result is positive of any of the diabetes type earlier mentioned, walk into a drug store and purchase any of the following supplements for improvement. If you have any other health condition, consult your doctor before taking any of the supplements.
Consider your type of diabetes when purchasing any of the supplements. Also consult your health care provider if your diabetes is severe.
- Taiy Nutrition Premium Blood Sugar Balance Supplement
- Daily Diabetes Health Pack Supplement
- LES Labs Insulin Health, Blood Sugar Support Supplement
While you have resumed taking your supplement, you should try and reduce stress and avoid sugar. Increase your intake of fruits and vegetables and exercise regularly( 30minutes daily). Losing weight and controlling your blood pressure will also improve your condition.
You can also read about type 1 diabetes causes, symptoms and treatment
References
- National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse. Your Guide to Diabetes: Type 1 and Type 2. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health. https://www.niddk.nih.gov/-/media/Files/Diabetes/YourGuide2Diabetes_508.pdf
- Beshyah, S. A. Secondary diabetes: A neglected dimension of non-communicable diseases. Ibnosina Journal of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, 12(2), 47-53. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/341463585_Secondary_diabetes
- Johns Hopkins Medicine. (n.d.). Gestational Diabetes. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/diabetes/gestational-diabetes
- American Diabetes Association. (n.d.). What is Prediabetes? http://main.diabetes.org/dorg/PDFs/what-is-prediabetes.pdf
- Syed, M. H., & Syed, S. H. (2020). Prediabetes: A high‐risk state for diabetes development. Practical Diabetes, 37(2), 47-51. https://wchh.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/pdi.2410