What is diabetes?

Around a year ago while I was pregnant with my first child, I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes. THE SHOCK!! While pregnant I was very careful of what I ate. I constantly was trying  to eat as well-balanced as possible! How could this happen?! Could it have been that one Friday morning when my coworker brought doughnuts and I ate one?! Debbie and her doughnuts! Before going to Debbie and giving her a piece of my mind, I decided to do some research to understand the types of diabetes and their common causes. So, what is diabetes?

Sugar, or glucose, is an important source of energy for our body’s cells. It gives us the energy to run, walk, talk and even think! However, like a lot of things, too much sugar in the blood can cause very serious health issues, like blindness or kidney failure among all the other awful stuff. In order to regulate the sugar in the blood, our body produces a hormone called insulin. A person affected by diabetes either doesn’t produce enough insulin or their body can’t effectively use the insulin it does produce. This results in high levels of sugar in the blood that can have serious consequences. 

There are several types of diabetes, and below are the most common types. 

Type 1 diabetes is caused by an autoimmune disease, in which our immune system attacks cells in our pancreas, where insulin is produced. Therefore, the body is not able to produce enough insulin and insulin injections are needed to regulate the sugar in the blood. 

Type 2 diabetes is the most common type and it's caused when the body becomes resistant to insulin. Risk factors for type 2 diabetes include obesity, not being physically active and genetics. 

Gestational diabetes (like the one that I had) occurs during pregnancy, it can cause complications during pregnancy and childbirth (I had to take insulin shots every day and had to have a c-section). The cause of gestational diabetes is unknown but by detecting it early and treating it properly you can have a healthy pregnancy and delivery (like I did!) and it usually goes away after giving birth (like mine did). 

To effectively manage diabetes, people need to regularly monitor their blood sugar levels. A change in diet and lifestyle are often suggested, but sometimes insulin shots or other medication is prescribed. If left untreated diabetes can have very serious consequences. Talk to your doctor, they are the ones who can tell you if you are at risk of having diabetes and what is the proper treatment for you. 

By Karen Ventura