Diabetes Mellitus – Types, Causes, And Symptoms

Diabetes mellitus is a group of degenerative diseases characterized by high blood sugar (glucose) levels, which caused from defects in insulin (enzyme of pancreas) secretion, or both. Diabetes mellitus, commonly referred to as diabetes (as it will be in this article) was first identified as a disease associated with “sweet urine".

Diabetes is a serious, lifelong condition that affects an estimated 20.8 million people. About 30 percent (6.2 million) do not know they have it. Each year, about 1.5 million people find out they have diabetes (1) and probably have had the disease for seven years before it was diagnosed.

Diabetes is a metabolic disorder affecting the way the body uses digested food for growth and energy. As a person eats, digestive juices break down the food into a simple sugar called glucose. Glucose is the main source of fuel for the body.

Types of Diabetes Mellitus:

Type 1 diabetes mellitus can occur at any age and is characterized by the marked and progressive inability of the pancreas to secrete insulin because of autoimmune destruction of the beta cells. It commonly occurs in children, with a fairly abrupt onset; however, newer antibody tests have allowed for the identification of more people with the new-onset adult form of type 1 diabetes mellitus called latent autoimmune diabetes of the adult (LADA).

Symptoms of type 1 diabetes:

• Increased thirst
• Increased urination
• Weight loss in spite of increased appetite

Type 2 diabetes mellitus was once called adult-onset diabetes. Now, because of the epidemic of obesity and inactivity in children, type 2 diabetes mellitus is occurring at younger and younger ages. Although type 2 diabetes mellitus typically affects individuals older than 40 years, it has been diagnosed in children as young as 2 years of age who have a family history of diabetes.

Symptoms of type 2 diabetes:
• Blurred vision
• Slow-healing infections
• Impotence in men

Genetic causes — Many people with type 2 diabetes have a family member with type 2 diabetes or conditions commonly associated with diabetes, such as high blood lipid levels, high blood pressure, or obesity. As an example, 39 percent of patients with type 2 diabetes have at least one parent with the disease. The lifetime risk that a first-degree relative (sister, brother, son, daughter) will develop diabetes is five to ten times higher than that of a person of a similar age and weight who has no family history of diabetes.

Diabetes Diet Plan

Eating according to a diabetes diet plan , is critical. The USDA recently released a new food pyramid that is more than just the regular four food groups. Eating and living a heart healthy life is an important part of managing your life as a diabetic so as to avoid cardiovascular problems which can kill you outright if left ignored. Eating a balanced diet and exercising regularly in mid-life are the best ways to reduce your risk of dementia as well as heart disease and diabetes.

Sugar is, of course, a carbohydrate. Sugar or glucose is the main problem in diabetes and hence the best diabetes diet would be to check the glucose levels in the blood. Avoid soft drinks, settle for diet over regular. Water is the best thing though.

Fiber is another important aspect of a diabetes diet plan. Diabetic patients must increase the amount of fruit, vegetables, and nuts that they consume. Fiber is an important component of your diabetes diet as it will help in slowing down of digestion and help to the body absorb the nutrients. Increasing fiber in a diabetes diet plan is very important in a diabetes diet plan because it steadies the stream of glucose being released into the blood stream. Fiber also absorbs bile acids that when left alone is converted into blood cholesterol. Fiber is usually found in plants most especially vegetables, fruits, whole grains and more.

Increasing fiber in a diabetes diet plan will help to slow down digestion and help in absorbing nutrients. This is very important in a diabetes diet plan because it steadies the stream of glucose being released into the blood stream. Increasing fiber in a diabetes diet plan will help to slow down digestion and help in absorbing nutrients. This is very important in a diabetes diet plan because it steadies the stream of glucose blood being released into the blood stream.

Fat is also in many dairy and meat products. Try to avoid fried foods, mayonnaise-based dishes, egg yolks, bacon and high-fat dairy products. Fats - No more than 30% of the diabetics daily calorie count should come from fat sources. Fats are also important because of their impact on cholesterol levels. Avoid butter, if you really need you can use fat free margarine in little quantity.


Vegetables are naturally low in fat and rich in vitamins and minerals. Exceptional vegetables for diabetes are those with high mineral, low sugar content. Vegetables that are high in soluble fiber include beans and carrots. Diabetics are encouraged to eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables every day. Spreading the fruit you eat through the day will avoid a sudden rise in blood glucose levels. The American Diabetes Association and the American Dietetic Association recommend that people with diabetes get most of their daily protein requirement from beans, grains, and vegetables, not meat.

The ideal diet for people with diabetes aims to maintain a balance between sugars, fibre, fats and salt. No foods are completely forbidden but some foods, especially sugars, fats and salt need to be consumed in restricted quantities. Learning about Diabetes and making the right lifestyle changes, can help you maintain blood glucose and blood fat levels as close to normal as possible, as well as maintaining a reasonable body weight. All of these factors will help you to reduce the risk of developing the serious complications of Diabetes.

Diet, exercise changes cut diabetes risk factors

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Quite small changes in lifestyle help reduce abdominal obesity and the occurrence of the metabolic syndrome, reports Dr. Pirjo Ilanne-Parikka, of the Finnish Diabetes Association in Tampere.

A cluster of diabetes risk factors including elevated waist circumference, blood pressure, triglyceride cholesterol, and blood sugar, as well as low levels of high-density lipoproteins ("good" cholesterol) are collectively know as the metabolic syndrome.

Ilanne-Parikka and colleagues report 15 percent reductions in both the metabolic syndrome and abdominal obesity among overweight middle-age men and women following individualized diet and exercise recommendations for an average of 3.9 years.

By contrast, metabolic syndrome decreased by just 4 percent and abdominal obesity did not decrease among people receiving usual diet and exercise advice, the researchers report in Diabetes Care.

In this secondary analysis of the ongoing Finnish Diabetes Prevention Study, the investigators followed 522 men and women who, at the start of the study, were 55 years old on average, overweight (body mass index 31.2), and had impaired glucose tolerance indicative of an increased risk for diabetes.

Participants in the intervention group received regular, individualized advice aimed at reducing their weight by at least 5 percent. They were counseled to improve their dietary intake of whole-grains, vegetables, fruits, low-fat diary and meat products, and vegetable oils rich in monounsaturated fatty acids. They were also advised to spend a minimum of 30 minutes each day daily walking, jogging, swimming, aerobics, in similar endurance exercise or and regularly weight-train.

People in the control group received general written and oral diet and exercise advice at the start of the study and during annual check-ups.

The findings highlight the importance of "individual, patient-centered counseling and regular follow-up," Ilanne-Parikka told Reuters Health

Longer follow-up studies are needed to confirm if these reductions can be achieved and maintained in other groups with the metabolic syndrome and if such reductions might limit the risk of cardiovascular disease, the investigators note.

SOURCE: Diabetes Care, April 2008