The World Health Organization (WHO) approximates that more than 29 million Americans are living with diabetes while the number is at 380 million people worldwide. The number is expected to double by the year 2030. Diabetes alone kills more people than AIDS and breast cancer combined. Now, that should be a reason for alarm. Let us then find out more about this condition.

Diabetes is a disorder where your body is unable to control blood sugar levels. What happens is that after digestion, the body breaks down food into glucose which is released into the blood stream. The pancreas then releases the hormone that enables the glucose to be absorbed into your cells thus giving you energy. What happens with people with diabetes is that they have problems with this hormone, hence the body isn't able to absorb glucose properly. The disorder occurs in two forms: Type 1 and 2.

Type 1 diabetes is the less common of the two. In fact, only five percent of people afflicted with diabetes have type 1. What happens with type 1 is that your immune system destroys the cells responsible for producing cells that create sugar processing hormones. Now this means that your body does not produce the hormone thus effectively ensuring that you cannot absorb glucose into your cells. Your cells starve, and the glucose builds up your blood which leads to high blood sugar.

Type 2 diabetes occurs when your cells cannot effectively use the hormone that breaks down blood sugar. The sugar then builds up in your blood causing high blood sugar.

Type 1 diabetes has no specific causes but may be triggered by the following:

• Infections caused by viruses and bacteria.
• Toxic components in food.
• Genetic disposition: Type 2 diabetes is often as a result of an inherited gene. However, it may also be triggered by these factors.
• Aging.
• Poor eating habits.
• A sedentary lifestyle
• Obesity

What is the symptoms of diabetes? Both types have the same symptoms. Let us look at them:

• Feeling hungry and fatigued all the time.Your body is taking in food and breaking it down to glucose which is supposed to be absorbed by the cells so as to give you energy. Now if you do not have the ability to break the sugars down correctly, the glucose won't get into the cells. Thus, you are constantly hungry and tired.
• Constant thirst and peeing. Due to the high blood sugar levels, your kidneys are working overtime because they cannot absorb all that sugar. The body has to make more urine to dilute the excess glucose. This will cause you to pee more often, the more you pee, the faster you get thirsty.
• Dry mouth and itchy skin. Since your body is using most of its fluids to make urine, there's little left to moisturize your skin and mouth. You will constantly have a dry mouth and your skin will be feeling itchy.
• Blurry vision. The constant change in body fluid composition could cause the lenses in your eyes to inflame. This inflammation makes them lose their ability to focus thus blurring your vision.

Other common symptoms may include:

• Belly pains
• Nausea and vomiting
• Unexplainable weight loss
• Heavy labored breathing
• Numbness in your hands and feet
• Wounds that don't heal

Diabetes is one of the top killers of this era. Fortunately, once detected early, the chances of it being fatal are greatly reduced. Type 1 diabetes is relatively uncommon, but whenever you feel a combination of any of the above symptoms, it would be wise to have a physician check you out. Fortunately, type 2, which is the most common, is quite preventable. This will involve becoming more active and losing those extra pounds. Also, a healthier lifestyle is recommended since obesity is the leading cause for type 2 diabetes other than family history. Make this lifestyle a priority and you might never have to face these symptoms.

Top 5 Routes for "Symptoms Of Diabetes"

1. diabetesresearch.org This website explains what diabetes is.
2. WebMD This link explains what type 1 diabetes is.
3. WebMD This link explains what type 2 diabetes is.
4. WebMD This link gives the symptoms of diabetes.
5. Mayo Clinic This website gives prevention tips for diabetes.