There are several different types of diabetes. Diabetes is a multi faceted disease characterized by the body’s inability to properly handle the blood sugar or glucose levels in the blood. The two main types of diabetes are Type I and Type II diabetes. A third type is gestational diabetes, which affects women rather than men. Gestational diabetes is diabetes that affects pregnant women. During pregnancy, a woman can develop diabetes. Gestational diabetes often subsides after the baby is born, but it puts the woman at increased risk for developing Type II diabetes later in life.
Type II diabetes is often called “adult onset diabetes,” though it can develop at any point in a person’s life and is being increasingly seen in children nowadays. In Type II diabetes, the body and the pancreas are producing insulin, but the body is unable to process it or respond to it correctly, leaving the patient diabetic. Risk factors for Type II diabetes include obesity and being overweight, a high fat diet, an otherwise unhealthy diet, a sedentary lifestyle that does not involve much exercise, a family history of diabetes, high cholesterol and a history of gestational diabetes for women. Type II diabetes can often be managed with changes to diet and exercise, though medications can also be used.
In contrast, in Type I diabetes, the patient’s body produces no insulin. To treat, manage and control Type I diabetes, the patient must take medications to introduce insulin into the bloodstream. This is usually done in the form of injections or shots. For those suffering with any type of diabetes, diet and exercise are crucial. Diet changes will help maintain blood sugar levels, and exercise helps improve the way the body handles insulin. Both will also help the diabetic achieve and maintain a healthy weight, another important factor.