In people with diabetes, insulin is no longer produced or not produced in sufficient amounts by the body.

So when people with diabetes eat glucose, which is in foods such as breads, cereals, fruit and starchy vegetables, legumes, milk, yoghurt and sweets, it can’t be converted into energy. Instead of being turned into energy the glucose stays in the blood. This is why blood glucose levels are higher in people with diabetes.

Glucose is carried around your body in your blood. Your blood glucose level is called glycaemia.


Major Types of Diabetes

Type 1 diabetes
In type 1 diabetes the pancreas, a large gland behind the stomach, stops making insulin. Without insulin, the body’s cells cannot turn glucose (sugar), into energy. Without insulin the body burns its own fats as a substitute. Unless treated with daily injections of insulin, people with type 1 diabetes accumulate dangerous chemical substances in their blood from the burning of fat. This can cause a condition known as ketoacidosis.This condition is potentially life threatening if not treated.

To stay alive, people with type 1 diabetes depend on up to four insulin injections every day of their lives. They must test their blood glucose levels several times daily. The onset of type 1 diabetes typically occurs in people under 30 years, but can occur at any age. About 10-15% of all cases of diabetes are type 1.

The exact cause of type 1 diabetes is not yet known, but we do know it has a strong family link and cannot be prevented. We also know that it has nothing to do with lifestyle, although maintaining a healthy lifestyle is very important in helping to manage type 1 diabetes.

At this stage nothing can be done to prevent or cure type 1 diabetes.

The following are symptoms of type 1 diabetes:

These symptoms may occur suddenly. If they occur, see a doctor. Through a simple test, a doctor can find out if they’re the result of type 1 diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes
Type 2 is the most common form of diabetes, affecting 85-90% of all people with diabetes. While it usually affects older adults, more and more younger people, even children, are getting type 2 diabetes.

In type 2 diabetes, the pancreas makes some insulin but it is not produced in the amount your body needs and it does not work effectively.

Type 2 diabetes results from a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Although there is a strong genetic predisposition, the risk is greatly increased when associated with lifestyle factors such as high blood pressure, overweight or obesity, insufficient physical activity, poor diet and the classic ‘apple shape’ body where extra weight is carried around the waist.

Type 2 diabetes can often initially be managed with healthy eating and regular physical activity. However, over time most people with type 2 diabetes will also need tablets and many will also need insulin. It is important to note that this is just the natural progression of the disease, and taking tablets or insulin as soon as they are required can result in fewer complications in the long-term.

There is currently no cure for type 2 diabetes.

While there is no single cause of type 2 diabetes, there are well-established risk factors. Some of these can be changed and some cannot.

You are at a higher risk of getting type 2 diabetes if you:

Symptoms of Type 2 Diabetes

In type 2 diabetes, many people have no symptoms at all, while other signs are dismissed as a part of ‘getting older’. By the time type 2 diabetes is diagnosed, the complications of diabetes may already be present. Symptoms include:

Preventing Type 2 Diabetes

It is estimated that up to 60% of type 2 diabetes can be prevented. People at risk of type 2 diabetes can delay and even prevent this disease by following a healthy lifestyle. This includes:

Gestational diabetes
Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is diagnosed when higher than normal blood glucose levels first appear during pregnancy. Between 3 and 8% of pregnant women will develop gestational diabetes around the 24th to 28th week of pregnancy, however, some may be earlier.

Pregnant women need two or three times more insulin than normal. If the body is unable to produce this much insulin, gestational diabetes develops.

If gestational diabetes is not well looked after it may result in problems such as a large baby, miscarriage and stillbirth.

Women who have had gestational diabetes are at an increased risk of developing
type 2 diabetes.

Risk Factors

While there is no one reason for why women develop gestational diabetes, you are at a greater risk if you:

· Are over 30 years of age
· Have a family history of type 2 diabetes
· Are overweight or obese
· Are from an Indigenous Australian or Torres Strait Islander background
· Are from a Vietnamese, Chinese, Middle Eastern, Polynesian or Melanesian background
· Have previously had gestational diabetes
· Have previously had Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
· You have previously given birth to a large baby
· Have a family history of gestational diabetes

Managing Gestational Diabetes

The management and treatment of gestational diabetes is a team effort, involving the woman with gestational diabetes, family, doctor and specialists, dietitian and Credentialed Diabetes Educator. There are three basic components in effectively managing gestational diabetes:

· monitoring blood glucose levels
· adopting a healthy eating pattern
· physical activity.

For some women insulin injections maybe required to help manage their gestational diabetes.

For more information about diabetes, see the Diabetes Australia website - http://www.diabetesaustralia.com.au