Diabetes Type 2
By Olivia Gage
What is Diabetes?
Diabetes is a chronic condition. This means that it lasts for a long time, often for someone's whole life.
For our bodies to work properly we need to convert glucose (sugar) from food into energy.
In people with diabetes, insulin is no longer produced or not produced in sufficient amounts by the body.
So when people with diabetes eat glucose, which is in foods such as breads, cereals, fruit and starchy vegetables, legumes, milk, yoghurt and sweets, it can’t be converted into energy. Instead of being turned into energy the glucose stays in the blood. This is why blood glucose levels are higher in people with diabetes.
Symptoms of Diabetes
- Always Tired
- Frequent Urination
- Sudden Weight Loss
- Wounds that won't heal
- Always hungry
- Blurry Vision
- Always Thirsty
- Numb or tingling hands or feet
Here is a video of the Symptoms of Diabetes
How to Reduce your risk of Diabetes
Lose Weight:
Carrying too much weight is the biggest risk factor for Type 2 diabetes. It is thought for every kilo of weight loss, the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes is reduced by 16 per cent, and losing just 5-10 per cent of your current body weight can reduce your risk by 60 percent.
Get Moving:
Many studies suggest regular exercise reduces the risk of diabetes by helping your
body.
Don't Smoke:
Those who smoke more than 20 cigarettes a day, almost double their risk of developing diabetes, when compared with non-smokers.