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Tuesday, August 25, 2009

How Do You Know If You Have Diabetes

Diabetes is a disease which prevents insulin from being used properly in the body of an otherwise healthy adult or child. Insulin is a critical chemical in the body which helps turn sugar and starches into energy the human body can use. When a person has diabetes his or her body has a difficult time producing enough insulin. The symptoms of diabetes can be nearly unnoticeable at first.

Health professionals estimate that there are nearly 7 million people in the United States alone that have an undiagnosed case of diabetes. Diabetes can only be treated with a proper diagnosis and understanding of the type of diabetes a person suffers from. Diabetes is treatable, but without a proper diagnosis it can be deadly. Here are some common symptoms to look for if you think you may have diabetes:

Increased hunger and thirst: Because diabetes affects how your body digests and handles food, you may actually feel more hungry after a big meal than before you began eating. Since your body isn’t getting the full effect of the food you’re digesting, your body may feel as though it needs more. Thirst may also be increased due to sugar building up in you body.

Excessive urination: This is sometimes more difficult to notice because different people do urinate at different rates. The increased thirst of diabetes often leads to increased liquid intake which obviously means more urination. Adults who wet the bed at night unexpectedly could actually be suffering from a form of diabetes and not even realize it.

Increased Fatigue: There are a number of reasons you may feel unusually fatigued, but the extra work your body is spending just to process sugar may be one of them. Since diabetes limits your ability to turn sugar and starches into energy it means your body is not able to use food to its fullest advantage.

Diabetes is a serious disease that can grow worse if not diagnosed early and treated properly. The good news is that diabetes is a disease which doesn’t have to kill you. You can live and even thrive with diabetes as long as you take care of yourself with some common sense treatments and actions.

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