Having the glucose in the blood higher than its normal poses some health risks particularly, when such high levels are maintained for quite awhile. One of the undesirable consequences of having an abnormally high level of blood glucose is Diabetes, which comes in 2 types: type 1 and type 2.
Glucose is among the smaller unit of sugars when broken down, the other two are fructose and glucose. Although sugars can be obtained from other sources, carbohydrates are never without them. Soon after individuals eat foods, the body works to break them down into sugars. The primary sugar that passes through the intestines into the bloodstream is the glucose, which has a great role in sustaining the internal organs to function soundly. So significant is the value of glucose that it can have serious ill effects to the health when its concentration in the blood goes up or down a level.
When the glucose in the blood rises, the insulin, a hormone secreted by pancreas and which commands the body to absorb glucose in the bloodstream, should also rise. The glucose is metabolized by the body cells for energy, and some are stored as glycogen, a molecule of glucose that is stored as ‘reserves of energy’. If the glucose in the bloodstream falls, the insulin secretion also goes down. The body works to burn the glycogen to convert them back to glucose, which is then released into the bloodstream for the cell’s benefits.
The beta cells, a component of little islets of cells found on pancreas, are the producer of insulin. An individual who is afflicted with type 2 diabetes does not know of such condition as the symptoms start to appear in a gradual manner. An explanation to this is that, unlike in type 1, the type 2 diabetes still enables the person to produce insulin. Nonetheless, an individual can still contract diabetes because first, the body does not produce sufficient amount of insulin; second, the body cells do not utilize the insulin properly—this happens when the person has ‘insulin resistance’, which means that the body cells are immune to the presence of the insulin that it needs more of this hormone to compel the body cells to get to work.
Many years ago, medical experts announced that people at age 40 and above are the ones who are vulnerable to type 2 diabetes as such condition is known to have a maturity onset. In the United Kingdom, 1 in every 20 people aged above 65 has it; and 1 in 5 people aged over 85 suffers from it. Today, the statistics dramatically soar and it becomes very prevalent that even children and young adults can be afflicted by it.
The culprit can be many. Genetics and other factors such as having a pre-cursor illness have a major impact. However, the reason behind the sudden skyrocketing number of individuals having the type 2 diabetes are obesity and overweight.
Among the others, the type 2 diabetes is commonly characterized by development of insulin-resistance, which is likely the scenario in obese people. Consequently, the body cell receptors do not respond to insulin at normal amount. As such thing happens, the blood sugar levels rise. Over time, the pancreas will begin to rescind its insulin production, a characteristic that is likely to develop the type 2 diabetes.
Obese individuals are encouraged to reduce on their sugar intake from beverages and foods to avoid developing insulin-resistance. It can be accomplished by participating on weight loss program, and being choosy on what they eat.