What are the diabetes types? You’ve probably heard something about type 1 and type 2 diabetes, but what does it all mean. And what the heck is Syndrome X?
In this post, we’ll talk about the different diabetes types and if you might fall into one of them.
Diabetes Type 1: Early Onset
This type is often called juvenile diabetes due to that it normally shows up in childhood or teen years. A person with type 1 is virtually always insulin-dependent.
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease. The body’s immune system attacks and destroys the beta cells of the pancreas. The pancreas then produces little or no insulin, causing the blood sugar to run rampant. Left unchecked, diabetes type 1 results in death.
Diabetes type 1 can also less commonly be caused by an injury or disease (such as cancer) of the pancreas.
Diabetes Type 2: Adult Onset
Sometimes also called late onset diabetes, this is what we’re facing when we overload our body with sugar. Our pancreas can’t keep up with the amounts of sugar that course through our bloodstream, and finally decided to not even try.
Adult onset diabetes can most times be controlled through eating right and getting even a modest amount of exercise. It can even be cured by avoiding the foods that cause your body to trip up.
But here’s the scary part: the term “adult onset” is becoming a less-accurate term, as more and more teens and even young children are being diagnosed with this disease.
Pre-Diabetes: Syndrome X
There is some argument these days when it comes to diabetes types: is Syndrome X really an early form of diabetes? Is it even diabetes at all? (I’ll go more into Syndrome X in another post.)
Considering that extreme sensitivity to sugar and sugar-like foods play a huge part of this condition, and that blood sugar is directly affected, my vote is yes — this is an early form of diabetes, which can easily and rapidly develop into the real thing — type 2.
The good news is that with a little planning, Syndrome X can be cured, and when it does away, the spectre of diabetes type 2 retreats into the shadows (where it belongs).
The Last of the Diabetes Types: Gestational Diabetes
This is a female-only condition, brought about by the stress of pregancy on a woman’s body. This is thought of as a type 2 condition, brought about by the hormone swings and stress of pregnancy.
Something to note: women who have gestational diabetes when pregnant are at an increased risk of developing a full case of diabetes type two later in life.
Other Reading
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