Diabetes - Type 2 Diabetes Symptoms

Special areas in the pancreas gland, the Islets of Langerhans, produce a hormone called
insulin. This hormone is a protein of small size. Insulin stimulates muscle cells and other
body cells to take up glucose from the blood and convert the glucose to glycogen, a kind of
starch, and then store the glycogen. By need the body cells convert the glycogen to glucose
and use it as fuel. In this way insulin keeps the glucose level in the blood at a normal size.

By diabetes type 2, the cells in the body do not react properly by stimulation from insulin.
Therefore they do not take in enough glucose from the blood to store it or to use it as energy
source. This condition is called insulin resistance. The amount of glucose in the blood
therefore rises. Also the insulin production can rise to regulate the glucose amount down,
but this effort to reduce the blood glucose is not effective enough. If the disease persists for
many years, the insulin production may tire out, so that the amount of secreted insulin
decreases.

THE CAUSES AND MECHANISMS OF DIABETES TYPE 2

The exact mechanism that causes the disease is not known. There may be an autoimmune
response to insulin or to the molecules on the cell surfaces that the insulin connects to.
However, these lifestyle factors can cause the disease:

-Too high consume of sugar and fat

-Over-weight

-Too less exercise over many years.

Therefore diabetes type 2 can be prevented by a right diet and with regular exercise.

When the glucose uptake into the body cells is reduced, but glucose instead accumulates in
the blood, the following physiological effects occur:

-The body cells do not get enough fuel for the work they shall do.

-The molecular thickness (osmality) of the blood increases. This causes water to be pulled
out from the body tissues and into the blood. The tissues thus get dried out and the urine
production increases.

-The tissues begin to break down protein and fat to get energy, causing weight loss and
muscular reduction.

The symptoms of diabetes type 2 are a consequence of these mechanisms.

THE SYMPTOMS OF DIABETES TYPE 2

Diabetes type 2 is the most common kind of diabetes, actually 10 times more common than
diabetes type 1, where the insulin production is reduced or stopped. The disease usually
appears after the age of 50, but the high sugar and fat consume in western countries
nowadays also causes young persons to acquire the disease. Symptoms of diabetes type 2
come gradually. The symptoms are.

-Increased urine production

-Dehydration, that is a lack of water in the body

-Abnormal high thirst

-Dry mouth

-Increased appetite

-Slow healing of physical injuries

-Itching in the skin

-Infections caused by yeasts

-Impaired vision

In the long turn, the disease can cause atherosclerosis with blood vessel narrowing, heart
disease and stroke.