Are you concerned about Diabetes? Know your Pancreas.

What is the pancreas?

Most people are familiar with the condition of diabetes, but not always with the organ involved, the pancreas. The pancreas is a small organ with big responsibilities.  It lies behind the stomach and is part of the digestive system.

One of the main jobs of the pancreas is to produce insulin, the hormone that regulates blood sugar.  When you eat a meal or a snack, based on what the composition of that food is, your blood sugar rises.  Consequently, the pancreas releases insulin, which in turn causes glucose (blood sugar) to move into cells to produce energy. 

In a person with diabetes, the pancreas does not release enough insulin or none at all, or the body doesn’t use it efficiently. This leads to an increase in blood sugar, but without providing the fuel necessary for the body’s use. That is a problem. 

Common conditions associated with pancreas malfunction

Type I Diabetes: 

• Often develops in children, but can also develop in adults
• Different from Type II Diabetes
• Caused by the beta cells in the pancreas being damaged by an autoimmune response (body attacking itself)
• Primary treatment is with insulin

Pre-diabetes:
This is when blood sugar levels are higher than normal, but not yet in the full blown diabetes range. If not controlled, this will lead to full blown diabetes.  The most common ways to reduce the risk are:

• regular exercise
• reduce fat in your diet
• lose 5-7% of your body weight

Type II Diabetes: 

• more common in older people
• being overweight puts you at increased risk
• nowadays, younger overweight people are also developing Type II Diabetes.

Gestational Diabetes:

• symptoms of diabetes developing during pregnancy
• generally goes away after pregnancy
• may be a precursor to future diabetes

Complications of Diabetes

Over time, especially if your diabetes is not managed well, it can lead to an avalanche of other complications, such as:

• heart disease
• nerve damage
• kidney damage
• eye damage
• foot problems
• skin conditions
• hearing loss
• Alzheimer’s and/or dementia
• depression

Diabetes is not something to take lightly.  If you have it, make sure to work with your doctor to have it well controlled, and also strive to maintain a healthy lifestyle.  If you are pre-diabetic, try to lose weight, exercise and consume a healthy diet. Live a healthy lifestyle and maintain a healthy weight in order to try and prevent the development of this or other chronic conditions.

I am in the pre-diabetic range, but am on a journey to health. Will you join me?

BLOOD SUGAR CHART

FASTING
Normal	70-99 mg/dl
Pre-diabetic	100-125 mg/dl
Diabetic	126mg/dl or higher on 2 separate tests
1-2 HOURS AFTER MEALS
Normal	Less than 140 mg/dl
Pre-diabetic	140-199 mg/dl
Diabetic	Less than 180 mg/dl
HbA1C
Normal	Less than 5.7%
Pre-diabetic	5.7-6.4%
Diabetic	6.4% or higher on 2 separate tests

If you liked this post, leave a comment and share with someone who needs to read it. Also, check out my post on the Heart.

Sources:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/diabetes
https://muschealth.org/medical-services/ddc/patients/digestive-diseases/pancreas/diabetes

 “Journey to Health with Priya” provides general educational information on various topics on this website as a public service, which should not be construed as professional medical advice nor be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician.