Symptoms of Diabetes –What are the Causes and Symptoms of Diabetes?

One reason that diabetes can go undetected for far too long is that some of symptoms of diabetes and the symptoms of anemia are almost identical such as the fatigue and the dizziness and blurred vision. Unless you go to your doctor for a diabetes test you may assume you have a mild case of anemia and try to cure your problems with an iron supplement. If you wait too long for a proper diagnosis you may end up causing severe damage to your body that can lead to major illness or even death.

If you want to have a better understanding of what actually causes diabetes you first need to understand how your body is supposed to work. When you eat and your body digests the food, the sugars in the food are absorbed into the bloodstream where they are broken down by the insulin supplied by the pancreas. In the diabetic there is either not enough insulin produced or the body has become insulin resistant, either way the result is a blood sugar level that is way too high.

Researchers think that Type 1 diabetes is caused when your immune system creates antibodies that attack and destroy the cells in your pancreas that are responsible for producing the insulin you need to control your blood sugar level. This leaves you with little or no insulin in your bloodstream to control the levels of glucose.  There is currently no known cure for Type 1 diabetes and patients must take insulin to keep it under control.

For those who have Type 2 diabetes, there are several theories regarding the causes of this diabetes, but most doctors agree that obesity and inactivity are a major contributing factor as is the consumption of too many processed foods, sugars and foods made with white flours. In Type 2 diabetes you body's cell become insulin resistant and no matter how hard it tries your pancreas cannot produce enough insulin to compensate and the levels of glucose in your blood spiral out of control.

While both types of diabetes can be controlled with insulin, you can make a major difference in how much insulin you need to use if you modify your diet. Your new diet should include plenty of fruits, vegetables and whole grains while eliminating processed foods and excess amounts of sugar.