Introduction To Diabetes And Diabetic Diet For Diabetics

At Diabetic-Diets.net, we focuses on the importance of having a special diet for diabetics. Diabetes care and education is vital to the survival of the patient hence it is very important for not only the patients but their family to know more about diabetes too. We begin by taking a brief look at diabetes: definition, types, and complications.

What is diabetes?
Diabetes mellitus (DM) comprises a group of disorders of carbohydrate metabolism that share a common symptom - hyperglycemia. Hyperglycemia is a condition where there is an abnormally high level of glucose in the blood.

According to the American Diabetic Association, 7% of the United States population or 20.8 million children and adults have diabetes.

Although DM can result from several causes, the factors contributing to hyperglycemia are:

• Reduced insulin secretion by the beta cells of the Islet of Langerhans (in the pancreas)
• Decreased glucose usage by majority of cells, owing to insulin deficiency
• Increased glucose production by the liver

Types of Diabetes Mellitus

• Type I diabetes mellitus (formerly, juvenile onset DM): Beta cells of the pancreatic islet produce insulin. In this type of DM, there is a complete destruction of these cells, causing an absolute insulin deficiency.
• Type II diabetes mellitus (formerly, adult onset DM): This condition ranges from insulin resistance with relative insulin deficiency to a predominantly insulin secretory defect with insulin resistance. Insulin resistance results when cells of the body do not respond properly to insulin produced by the pancreas. This causes the pancreas to overproduce insulin, often resulting in a deficiency.
• Gestational diabetes mellitus: Insulin resistance and glucose intolerance, leading to hyperglycemia first noticed during pregnancy. In the United States, this type of diabetes is observed in about 4-5% of pregnancies. After pregnancy, a larger percentage of women revert to normal glucose tolerance. A smaller percentage of women do develop diabetes later in their life.

NOTE:
Pre Diabetes or Borderline diabetes mellitus is an outdated terminology. It was a condition said to occur prior to the diagnosis of type II diabetes mellitus. The term has been replaced with “Impaired glucose tolerance”, a condition in which blood glucose levels are higher than normal but not high enough to be called diabetes. These people may or may not develop diabetes.

Symptoms of Diabetes Mellitus

The symptoms include:

• Increased urine production with frequent urination
• Increased thirst
• Weight loss despite an increased food intake
• Easy fatigability
• Irritability
• Blurred vision
• Slow healing sores
• Dry skin

*There are several symptoms. The above are just a handful.

Complications of DM
It is important to note that all the complications are the effects of hyperglycemia either in the short term (acute complications) or in the long term (chronic complications).

Acute Complications

• Diabetic ketoacidosis

Chronic Complications

• Opthalmic complications - Diabetic retinopathy, cataract, glaucoma
• Diabetic nephropathy (renal complications)
• Gastrointestinal dysfunction
• Genitourinary dysfunction
• Cardiovascular complications

Management of Diabetes Mellitus

Type I Diabetes Mellitus

• Administration of exogenous insulin: This is the primary management strategy for type I diabetes mellitus.
• Control of blood glucose level by self monitoring.

Type II Diabetes Mellitus

• Control of blood glucose level through diet and exercise
• Treatment of associated conditions
• Management of complications, if existent. If non- existent, there should be continuous screening as a preventive modality.

What is the Diabetic Diet?
A diabetic diet is one in which a diabetic follows to help manage his or her blood sugar levels and are based on the same nutrition principles that any healthy person should follow for good health.

A diabetic diet is a nutrition plan designed to help the diabetic

• manage his/her blood sugar levels
• reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease
• maintain a healthy weight
• meet his/her nutritional, lifestyle, social and cultural needs

Why is the diabetic diet important?
Hyperglycemia is the major clinical feature of DM, and the combination of insulin deficiency and hyperglycemia has been marked as the lead causes of complications observed in DM.

Control of the blood glucose level is, therefore, central to the proper management of DM; and this is where the diabetic diet comes into play.

The goal of the diabetic diet is to provide a mixture of fats, carbohydrates, and proteins at each meal at an appropriate calorie level to both provide essential nutrients as well as create an even release of glucose into the blood from meal to meal and from day to day.

Dietary Guidelines for Diabetics
There is no one special diet for diabetes but people with diabetics should follow these general guidelines:

• Carbohydrates should provide 45 – 65% of total daily calories. The type and amount of carbohydrate are both important. Best choices are vegetables, fruits, beans, and whole grains. These foods are also high in fiber. Patients with diabetes should monitor their carbohydrate intake either through carbohydrate counting or meal planning exchange lists.
• Fats should provide 25 – 35% of daily calories. Monounsaturated (olive, peanut, canola oils; avocados; nuts) and omega-3 polyunsaturated (fish, flaxseed oil, walnuts) fats are the best types. Limit saturated fat (red meat, butter) to less than 7% of daily calories. Choose nonfat or low-fat dairy instead of whole milk products. Limit trans-fats (hydrogenated fat found in snack foods, fried foods, commercially baked goods) to less than 1% of total calories.
• Protein should provide 12 – 20% of daily calories, although this may vary depending on a patient’s individual health requirements. Patients with kidney disease should limit protein intake to less than 10% of calories. Fish, soy, and poultry are better protein choices than red meat.
• Lose weight if body mass index (BMI) is 25 – 29 (overweight) or higher (obese).

A well planned diabetic diet, together with proper medical attention ensures that diabetics enjoy a high quality of life. Please consult a dietician for more information about how you can benefit from a diabetic diet.

Next article: Living With Diabetes - What You Need To Know About Diabetes. Diabetes Continuing Education Is Important.

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