Friday 25 July 2008

Smoking effects on health and diabetes

Diabetes is a disorder of the metabolism caused as a result of the way our bodies use digested food for growth and energy. Glucose is the body's natural fuel source provided by the food we eat. When a person has diabetes, this glucose has a problem being distributed around the body in the blood. As more and more glucose remains in the bloodstream blood glucose or blood sugar levels can rise too high.


Two main types occur; information on both is looked at briefly here. In type 1, which is also called juvenile onset diabetes or insulin-dependent where the body completely stops producing any insulin; daily injections of insulin are needed if the diabetic patient does not want to die. The purpose of insulin is to regulate the amount of glucose in our blood. Adult onset diabetes affects older people as the name suggests but differs from type one; this type happens when not enough insulin is being produced or it isn't being used properly, but it can normally be treated through diet.



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. Many health conditions can be caused by long term high blood sugar levels including: poor vision, heart complaints, problems with the kidneys and in some cases even limb amputation. However, it is possible to manage diabetes by maintaining a strict health regime; then many of the conditions associated with this condition can be slowed down considerably if not stopped altogether. Managing your condition means you must take control of certain areas of your life by ensuring you take your medication regularly; it is very important that you you look at giving up smoking and maintain your blood glucose levels, cholesterol and other blood fats within your target range.


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Your weight and blood pressure also need to be checked regularly and kept within the acceptable limits set by your doctor. Diabetes cannot be cured and once diagnosed it is a lifelong complaint; there are currently over five and half million Americans who have been diagnosed with this, and the numbers are rising. 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; there are more than 600,000 new cases every year so the situation is worsening. Official figures show that diabetes causes the death of over thirty four thousand people in America every year but deaths from citizens that have the condition but do not die directly from it is about 320,000.

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