1. DIABETES

2. Diabetes mellitus ( literally “ honey diabetes- due to a high concentration of sugar in the blood and urine of the people who don’t treat their diabetes)
Hormone insulin enables the cells of our body to use glucose, which is mostly obtained from carbohydrates, as an energy source.
Diabetes mellitus appears when too little insulin is produced or when the hormone doesn’t function normally in the body.

3. DIABETES MELLITUS TYPE 1
specialized cells in pancreas stop completely with the production of the appropriate amount of insulin
cells can’t use sugar in blood and the amount of that sugar increases
symptoms usually develop at the age between 10 and 16
disease develops very quickly and without regular insulin shots it is lethal
immune cells destroy by mistake the cells that produce insulin in pancreas
the disease can be genetic

4. DIABETES MELLITUS TYPE 2
it develops gradually and usually affects people older than 40
people affected by it don’t produce enough insulin or are insulin- resistant ( body cells don’t react to the produced insulin)
people with hypertension and increased amount of weight in their waist area are very prone to this type of diabetes

5. without insulin, body can’t store or use glucose, a type of sugar, as an energy source
that causes fatigue, dizziness and hunger
tissues get damaged
weight loss (D. Mellitus type 1)
sugar accumulates in blood and goes to urine, taking away water and causing excessive urination and thirst
with D. Mellitus type 1, a big amount of sugar in blood causes mental confusion and then coma
D. Mellitus type 2 doesn’t result in mental confusion and coma but it can cause complications like kidney disease, leg furuncle, heart and blood vessel- diseases
SYMPTOMS

6. PREVENTION
according to some researches children who are breast-fed rarely get diabetes type 1
loss of the excessive weight reduces the risk of diabetes type 2
if someone you are closely related to has it, you have hypertension or are prone to getting kilos in the waist area, it is important that you maintain normal body weight
regular exercise outdoors also reduces the risk

7. DIET
4-5 small meals enable the body to regulate blood sugar better than 3 big meals
carbohydrates should come mostly from leguminous plants, whole-grain cereals, fruits and vegetables
limit the amount of saturated fats( mostly found in meat and high-fat milk)
if necessary take in more omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids (found in oily fish, nuts and its oils) and olive oil to keep your vessels healthy.
eat 3 portions of oily fish per week, a bit of nuts and seeds and 5 portions of vegetables and fruits per day
avoid eating sweet foods because it causes changes of sugar level in blood and encourages gaining weight

8. DOING EXERCISE doing exercise regularly prevents gaining weight
- doing exercise increases the amount of sugar that muscles use even 72 hours after the exercise
- if you take in insulin or some other drug, control your blood sugar before and after the exercise and balance the exercise with your diet

9. HERBAL REMEDIES before taking any herbs, consult with your doctor
eat raw garlic, cooked onion or onion juice every day to improve blood circulation and reduce the amount of sugar in blood
try do drink a cup of tea made from dandelion root every day ( it is believed that dandelion root encourages the function of pancreas and production of insulin)

10. VITAMINS AND MINERALS
some vitamins and minerals can help if you have diabetes, they are usually obtained from food, but ask your doctor if you should take supplements.
vitamins A, B, C and E, and flavonoids can help you avoid long-term problems if you have diabetes
chromium improves the effect of insulin
magnesium can reduce the resistance to insulin and help better control of blood sugar
people with diabetes often lack manganese, which can improve the health of your blood vessels
people with diabetes type 2 could also increase the intake of zinc

11. BEWARE OF CORN SYRUP
it is a substitute for as harmful sugar in food, which is preferred by producers because it is a lot cheaper than sugar
it can be found in almost all industrially processed foods and ready-cooked food
it is 6 times sweeter than sugar, it is tastier and makes us want more of it and we constantly eat the same foods
it is added to some yoghurts, especially fruit yoghurts, carbonated beverages
it can also be found in salty snacks and fast food
it serves for intensifying flavour in sauces, ketchup and chewing gums
it is marked on declarations as HFSC ( high fructose corn syrup