A person with diabetes will have trouble with the way his digested food uses glucose to provide energy and growth. Once converted by the digestive system, food is transformed into glucose which is then used by our metabolisms for energy. Diabetes interrupts the transportation of glucose around the body. The health risks are the direct result of a build up of glucose in the blood instead of it being carried around the body for the cells to have energy.

This condition comes in two forms but only brief details are given here; further information should be sought from a medical professional if you have this condition. The first type is called type one and primarily affects young people, usually called juvenile onset diabetes and is where the body completely stops the production of insulin; this means insulin must be given to the diabetic on a daily basis for them to live. Insulin helps glucose enter the body’s cells, where it can be used for energy or stored for future use. The second form of diabetes usually affects people when they are of mature years; it results when the body either cannot produce enough insulin or does not use the insulin it makes properly.

We all eat foods that are rich in energy which the body uses to convert into sugar for energy like pasta, potatoes, bread, rice and fruit. Prolonged periods of high blood glucose levels can lead to problems like heart disease, kidney complaints, blindness and even limb amputations. Specialists in diabetes will tell you that provided you do exactly what your care and management program tells you to do, your condition will start to improve; a number of the conditions will actually get better whilst others will be slowed down. Managing your condition means you must take control of certain areas of your life by ensuring you take your medication regularly; giving up smoking, keep you blood glucose and cholesterol levels stable as well as well as other blood fats are just some of the aspects that require special attention.

You will also need to maintain your weight, and maintain your blood pressure to within the guidelines set by your doctor. Diabetes once recognized in the sufferer will be with them for the rest of their lives; in America there are more than five and a half million recognized sufferers.

Studies suggest that it is not the whole story as experts believe there are as many people again that have the disease that have not yet been diagnosed; each year there are over six hundred thousand new cases. It is a worrying fact that whilst 34,000 American citizens die each year as a direct result of diabetes, another 320,000 die that have the condition where it may be an underlying reason.