Diabetes
Diabetes is a condition that causes a person’s blood sugar level to become too high. It can happen when your body does not produce enough insulin or the insulin it produces isn’t effective. Or, when your body cannot produce any insulin at all.
Diabetes is a complicated condition and there are many different types of diabetes. The main types are Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes.
Type 1 diabetes is a lifelong condition where the body’s immune system attacks and destroys the cells that produce insulin.
Type 2 diabetes is where the body does not produce enough insulin, or the body’s cells do not react to insulin properly.
In all types of diabetes, glucose cannot get into your cells properly, so it begins to build up in your blood. And too much glucose in your blood causes a lot of different problems.
What all types of diabetes have in common is that they cause people to have too much glucose (sugar) in their blood. But we all need some glucose. It is what gives us energy. We get glucose when our bodies break down the carbohydrates that we eat or drink. And that glucose is released into our blood.
We also need a hormone called insulin. It’s made by our pancreas, and its insulin that allows the glucose in our blood to enter our cells and fuel our bodies.
If you don’t have diabetes, your pancreas senses when glucose has entered your bloodstream and releases the right amount of insulin, so the glucose can get into your cells. But if you have diabetes, this system doesn’t work.
Pre diabetes
Some people may have a blood sugar level that is higher than usual, but not high enough to be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. This is called prediabetes or non-diabetic hyperglycaemia and means you are at risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
If you have non-diabetic hyperglycaemia, you may be eligible. The programme helps people make lasting lifestyle changes and has been shown to help prevent type 2 diabetes.
You can reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes through healthy eating, regular exercise and achieving a healthy body weight. For more information on the Kirklees Wellness Service Healthy Weight programme, click here.