Diabetes : How does a healthy body work? (BD Medical - Diabetes Care)

  
 

How does a healthy body work?
Type 1 diabetes
Type 2 diabetes
Gestational diabetes

Diabetes, or to give it its full name Diabetes Mellitus is a common condition which results in you having too much glucose in your blood (hyperglycaemia) caused by a deficiency of insulin secretion, insulin action or both. There is always a certain amount of glucose circulating in your blood stream. Glucose is actually the main fuel of the body, delivering the energy your body needs to work properly throughout the day and night. This glucose level is surprisingly constant due to different mechanisms and more specifically to the action of the insulin.
   
Insulin is a hormone normally produced by the pancreas, an organ close to the stomach.

The principal role of this hormone is to ensure that the level of glucose in your blood (glycaemia) is constantly maintained within the narrow range of 3.3 to 7mmol/L.
   

To do so, the insulin will act like a key, opening the way for the glucose coming from the food you eat to enter the cells where it will be transformed in the energy your body needs while maintaining glycaemia within the specific range.
Without insulin, the glucose will not be able to enter cells and will remain in the blood stream. As a result the glucose level in your blood will rise, especially after meals, this is what is called diabetes. At this stage, your body will begin to tell you that something is not right. You will probably pass a lot of urine, feel thirsty and hungry, abnormally tired and lose weight.

    Diabetes is usually categorised in two main types:
  • Type 1 diabetes
  • Type 2 diabetes