When does the sweet sugar feel bitter?
The short answer- when doctor tells you: You have higher than normal blood sugar in your body for a long time, i.e. diabetes Type-2. If not treated it can lead to multiple chronic syndromes.
Let’s dive to find out the cause of it.
It looks so natural each day every day we eat and produce energy from food and enjoy the comfortability of an energetic life.
How do we get energy from food?
Food, particularly the carbohydrates get digested by the digestive enzymes in the stomach to glucose. Glucose is absorbed in the stomach and intestine and enters to blood stream. That triggers the release of hormone insulin from pancreas. Insulin carries glucose to the cells of our body. Inside the cells glucose gets converted to energy in the presence of oxygen releasing carbon dioxide and water as the by-product. The excess glucose is excreted via urine and the remaining is stored as glycogen (animal fat) in liver and muscles. The body can use them as necessary converting back to glucose and using the same process described above.
This is a fundamental process of human life.
When does this process go wrong?
Why Does One Get Diabetes?
When pancreas doesn’t release enough insulin or the body doesn’t respond to insulin fully (insulin resistance), only some of the glucose goes to cells. The leftover glucose from the food stays as such in the bloodstream. This increases the sugar content of the blood.
It is not entirely known why the pancreas doesn’t release enough insulin.If this excess sugar in the blood persists for years it is called diabetes type 2. This is the root cause of diabetes. Sometimes it can take up to 10 years to develop the disease.
This kind of incapability of the body to convert food to energy leaves excess glucose in the blood. Diabetes type 2 does not stop food breakdown to glucose. More insulin is needed to bring the sugar level down. Pancreas overworks to match the insulin. Over time it gets tired. If the pancreas can no longer produce enough insulin, symptoms of diabetes type 2 will begin to appear.
symptoms of diabetes type 2 Link: https://healthhelmet.com/symptoms-of-diabetes-type-2
Other Causes of Diabetes (ref. Book on Diabetes by Sameer Dasgupta)
- Ingesting high calorie, high amount of carbohydrate or fasting frequently
- Increased estrogen and increased amount of growth hormone
- Medicating your body with too much iodine containing medicine
- Disease in liver, victim of heart attack due to heredity, loss of mental balance
- It can be inherited
- Obese patients get it more than lean people
- People doing more mental work than physical work
- People living in urban areas seem to get it more than villagers
- People having heart problems
- Adults and older population gets it more than kids
How Does Human Body Naturally Balance Blood Glucose?
There are hormones in our body being released from different organs other than pancreas beta cells
Glucagon– increases blood sugar. Released from the alpha cells of pancreas
Insulin– reduces blood sugar. Released from the beta cells of pancreas
AdrenalinE– increases blood sugar
Cortisol– increases blood sugar
Growth hormone – from pituitary gland helps keep normalcy in blood sugar
These hormones contribute to blood glucose balance. When there is a possibility of rising blood sugar such as eating, the beta cells of the pancreas secretes more insulin to normalize the blood sugar.
Why is Glucose a Need but not an Option for Our Survival?
Glucose is the main source of energy for
- Brain
- Central nervous system
- Red blood cells
These vital body systems survive with energy from glucose.
What Should You Eat to Live Healthy?
Follow these comprehensive guidelines developed by health authorities to keep yourself healthy.
Guidelines for nutrition for general population:
https://health.gov/our-work/food-nutrition/2015-2020-dietary-guidelines/guidelines/
Guidelines for diabetes population:
Takeaway
Have regular doctor’s appointment and follow your diabetes health as you age.
Gaining knowledge and practicing it in your life is the ultimate power.
hello there amazing article you have here this really dragged my attention as i was glancing through it i just could not ignore it this is very educative and its good for us to know about things like this so that we can be cautious of what we take into our body i really wish to see more of your post thanks for sharing this with me.
Hi Joy,
I am glad that my article helped you to learn little more about this deadly disease. Thank you for your time.
Diabetes, any type is no joke but it is just that type 1 is hereditary and type 2 is pretty much a life style. I know this first hand because my father is type one and my aunt was type 2 (she passed unfortunately). This is interesting, I had no idea that iodine can be the cause of the type 2 diabetes. Thanks for sharing this information. It is still not yet conclusive on how we get type 2 diabetes. I think preventive care is the best choice so we all have to live a healthy lifestyle such as eat whole food, exercise and engage in a social events. All we can do for now is to prevent it.
The big question is how do you get (acquire) type 2 diabetes? Obesity, sedentary lifestyle, high stress, lack of diabetes education are touted as the prime causes.
Over eating overuses pancreas and making it finally insulin resistant and thus impairs insulin level.
Good news: combination of medication or without with right portions of right foods and exercise of at least 30 mins a day for 5 d/week helps control and/or reverse diabetes.