The Threat of Diabetes (Type 2)

What does diabetes do to a body?

Type 2 diabetes reduces the effectiveness and amount of insulin inside the bloodstream. Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas that signals the glucose (sugar) in the blood to enter cells for energy. However, a person with type 2 diabetes doesn’t have a sufficient amount of insulin inside the bloodstream, resulting in a high concentration of sugar inside the bloodstream and a lower amount of sugar for cells to use as energy. This is why people with type 2 diabetes often need to take insulin shots. Increased blood sugar caused by low insulin can be extremely harmful to the body after an extensive period of time. Specifically, it can cause damage to nerves and blood vessels. Some of the effects of this damage are heart attacks, strokes, and kidney failure.

How to prevent diabetes

Diabetes prevention is fairly straightforward. Being overweight correlates to getting diabetes, so staying at a healthy body weight will prevent diabetes. Some easy ways to stay at a healthy body weight are:

• Taking walks every day

• Avoid too much sugar and unhealthy fats (saturated and trans fats)

• Play a sport

• Stand up and walk around every once in a while if sedentary for too long

Sources: 

1. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/diabetes#:~:text=Diabetes%20is%20a%20chronic%20disease,hormone%20that%20regulates%20blood%20glucose.

2. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/type-2-diabetes/symptoms-causes/syc-20351193#:~:text=Type%202%20diabetes%20affects%20many,factors%20for%20other%20serious%20diseases.

Written by: Kevin