Diabetes

• Insulin is a hormone that our pancreas releases when the concentration of glucose in our bloodstream gets too high.
• Insulin binds to cells throughout our entire body and tells them to absorb some of that excess glucose and turn it into glycogen.
• The use of insulin helps to bring glucose levels back down to normal.
• There are two types of diabetes: type 1 and type 2.
• The underlying problem in both types of diabetes is that patients can't regulate their blood glucose levels properly because the insulin system is all messed up.
• Type 1 diabetes generally occurs in childhood or teenage years but the condition itself is lifelong.
• In type 1 diabetes, the pancreas stops producing insulin or only makes very tiny amounts, which can cause blood glucose levels to rise really high and in rare cases even kill the patient.
• The main treatment for type 1 diabetes is to inject the patient with insulin, which is normally done into their abdomen or into their thigh.
• If somebody with type 1 diabetes injects insulin after they have a meal, it's the same as if their pancreas was releasing it, bringing down their blood glucose levels before they get too high.
• The amount of insulin that a person with type 1 diabetes needs to inject depends on what they've just eaten and how much exercise they're doing.
• In type 2 diabetes, the pancreas continues to produce insulin but the patient's cells become resistant to it, meaning they don't respond to the insulin anymore and their cells won't take in so much glucose from the bloodstream.
• The main line of treatment for type 2 diabetes is a healthy low sugar diet and regular exercise.