Information for Those Newly Diagnosed
When you are diagnosed with diabetes, it is important to understand all aspects of your condition, including the very basics. The following are a few questions, followed by a simple explanation of each, to use as ‘foundation knowledge’ for your own understanding of your condition
What does ‘blood sugar’ mean?
When food is eaten, the body breaks down some foods into sugar. The body converts sugar into glucose or blood sugar, where it is carried in the blood stream to parts of the body where it is needed for energy. Glucose is the body’s main energy source and is carried by the blood to the body’s cells for energy.
What is Insulin?
Insulin is a hormone that is produced by the beta cells of a gland in your body called the pancreas. Insulin helps the glucose get into the cells where it can be used for energy. Blood sugars rise after eating, which causes a release of insulin from the pancreas, which allows glucose to be absorbed into the body where needed.
When a person develops diabetes, there is little or no insulin available, the body’s cells resist the insulin or simply does not produce any insulin, for reasons we are not fully sure of. When insulin is not available, the glucose builds up in the blood. A blood test can show if someone has a high level of blood glucose and has diabetes.What happens to Insulin & Blood Sugars when you have diabetes?
Is there a cure for diabetes?
There is no known cure for diabetes; therefore it is a condition for life. There is currently a lot of research into cures for diabetes and new treatments,
However with the right advice & treatment, diabetes can be controlled and you can live a normal, healthy life.
who can provide you with individual advice, tailored to your needs. Often, when talking to other people in the community, whether they have diabetes or not, their intentions maybe good, but they can provide you with inaccurate or wrong advice. Please go to our ‘Diabetes Myths’ section to uncover some of these myths
If you have been recently diagnosed with Diabetes or have Diabetes and have any questions or need further information,
please do not hesitate to contact us either by email/telephone or submit a comment below and we will respond to your query asap.
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