The ABC of Weight Loss

Types of Diabetes

To complicate matters, there are 3 primary types of diabetes that exist in this world –  type one, type two, and gestational diabetes. Each of these have their own issues
to deal with as well as their own concerns for those that are suffering.

Type I Diabetes or Diabetes Mellitus Type I, Insulin Dependent
Type I diabetes is that form of diabetes a patient might have from the time they are born. This form of diabetes occurs when the body is no longer able to produce its own insulin, resulting in the inability to break down sugars in the body. What happens is that the body’s own immune system attacks itself, causing the beta cells in the Islets of Langerhans (these are attached to the pancreas) to be destroyed or permanently damaged. Some scientists believe this can be caused by a viral infection, but the current research is inconclusive.

This autoimmune disease often strikes children, but can also strike adults, though it will often be misdiagnosed as Type II due to the late onset of the symptoms. This form of diabetes is lethal if the patient doesn’t get shots of insulin in their bloodstream to break down sugars taken in by their body. Ketoacidosis can occur, causing the body to slowly break down and organs to shut down, causing a diabetic coma and often death.

While additional lifestyle changes will also need to take place, the only way to keep control of this form of diabetes is by making sure the patient is constantly monitoring their blood sugar levels and taking the appropriate doses of insulin.

It is also a good idea to note that this form of diabetes is also not a preventable form of the disease. Because this is caused by genetics in the body, the person who is diagnosed with this form may seem perfectly healthy and be of the right weight, however, their blood sugar levels may be sky high because the body just can’t do anything to stop it from happening.
Type II Diabetes or Diabetes Mellitus Type II, Non Insulin Dependent
The type of diabetes that is popping up more often in health news is Type II diabetes. Often diagnosed later in life, this form of diabetes seems to be easier to pin down in terms of cause. Because this diabetes is not caused by genetic changes, it is manageable and often curable in some cases. At the same time, it’s also preventable.

Also known as obesity related diabetes, this disease occurs as a metabolic disorder in the body that prevents the proper metabolism of sugars – but that doesn’t mean your body can’t break them down at all. The easiest way to explain this disease is to say that the body can break down sugar, but not that well. When a Type II diabetic doesn’t manage their blood sugars, however, the most common result is long term damage to the body – often unseen until it’s too late to do anything about the results.

There are a number of probable causes for Type II diabetes:
• Obesity
• Diets that are high in sugar
• Processed foods
• Other unclear events
• Family history

A person that is diagnosed with pre-diabetes or with Type II diabetes can often live a very normal life without any complications when they manage their sugar levels. But this requires that the patient watch the amounts of sugars they take in each day and balance that with any sugar they might burn off because of exercise.

Gestational Diabetes
While most of the medical statistics focus on Type I or Type II diabetes, there is one other kind of diabetes that can also occur – gestational diabetes. As the name suggests, this is a form of diabetes that occurs in pregnant women as a result of the pregnancy and hormones. This is a very dangerous condition for a woman as it can cause the baby to have troubles with their health as well as with their weight. These babies tend to be very large and place a lot of strain on the mothers.

Other complications for the mother include:
• Hypertension – high blood pressure
• Increased risk for developing Type II diabetes
• Preeclampsia – a life threatening condition in which the mother can be put at risk for internal bleeding and brain haemorrhage. This condition can also lead to miscarriage or the death of the mother during labour.

Problems for the baby include:
- Hypoglycaemia – low blood sugar in the baby when born
- Jaundice – yellowing of the skin due to poor liver function, often
resolves on its own in babies
- Increased risk for obesity
- Increased risk of Type II diabetes
- Low calcium levels
- Low magnesium levels
- Macrosomia – this can lead to an increased need or a caesarean for
delivery
-Respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) – problems with breathing

Gestational diabetes tends to resolve once the baby is born, though some women are at a greater risk of continuing to have blood sugar problems. Testing for this kind of diabetes takes place around week 28 of a pregnancy at which point the mother may need to start insulin shots and watch her diet more carefully to manage her blood sugar levels.

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