Diabetes Type 1 Description: Insulin lowers blood sugar by allowing it to leave the bloodstream and enter cells. Everyone needs insulin. People with type 1 diabetes can’t make their own insulin. They must take insulin every day. Insulin is usually injected under the skin. In some cases, a pump delivers the insulin continuously. Insulin does not come in pill form.
Prognosis: The outcome for people with diabetes varies. Studies show that tight control of blood glucose can prevent or delay complications to the eyes, kidneys, and nervous system. However, complications may occur even in those with good diabetes control.
Prevention: Currently, there is no way to prevent type 1 diabetes. There is no effective screening test for type 1 diabetes in people with no symptoms.
Diabetes Type 2 Description: This is the most common form of diabetes. Millions of Americans have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, and many more are unaware they are at high risk. In type 2 diabetes, either the body does not produce enough insulin or the cells ignore the insulin. Insulin is necessary for the body to be able to use glucose for energy. When you eat food, the body breaks down all of the sugars and starches into glucose, which is the basic fuel for the cells in the body. Insulin takes the sugar from the blood into the cells. When glucose builds up in the blood instead of going into cells, it can lead to diabetes complications.
Prognosis
The risk of long-term complications from diabetes can be reduced. If you control your blood glucose and blood pressure, you can reduce your risk of death, stroke, heart failure, and other complications. Reduction of HbA1c by even 1% can decrease your risk for complications by 25%.
Prevention
Screening for type 2 diabetes and people with no symptoms is recommended for overweight children who have other risk factors for diabetes, starting at age 10 and repeating every 2 years, overweight adults (BMI greater than 25) who have other risk factors, adults over 45, repeated every 3 years. NOTE: Insulin Resistance (IR) is oftentimes called pre-diabetes 2. I believe ‘treatment’ for IR will prevent one from becoming diagnosed as type 2.
Diabetes Type 3: Alzheimer’s Disease?? In simple terms, when the body refuses to make insulin, the condition is called type 1 diabetes; when the body mismanages the hormone, it’s known as type 2. Now, scientists report new evidence linking insulin to a disorder of the brain: when the brain prevents the hormone from acting properly, the ensuing chemical imbalance may help trigger Alzheimer’s disease. The correlation is so strong that some researchers are calling Alzheimer’s disease “type 3″ diabetes.
Time.com dated: Oct 2007 http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1673236,00.html
NY Academy of Sciences dated: Oct 2009 http://www.nyas.org/events/Detail.aspx?cid=53b416ce-0991-4826-893f-645016004019 .
I have no doubt we’ll be seeing significant progress in this area in the very near future. The American Diabetes Association is quite active during this research as well.