Diabetes mellitus or type two diabetes is a disease affecting people who are obese and sedentary. It usually occurs in adults and kills hundreds of Americans each year. Since America has become one of the fattest nations in the world diabetes has become much more of a threat to many Americans. Learning a lot about diabetes is important in prevention of future cases of diabetes. .
First what is diabetes mellitus? Diabetes is a disorder in which blood levels of glucose or simple sugar are abnormally high because the body does not release or use insulin properly. People with type one diabetes produces little or no insulin, although most people in the U.S. don't have this disease they have type two. In type two diabetes the pancreas continues to produce insulin, sometimes even at higher levels than normal. The body eventually grows resistance to its effects, resulting in an insulin deficiency. Type two diabetes usually occurs in adults over the age thirty but it has been known to affect children and adolescents. Certain races and ethnic groups are at larger risk as well as obese people. Body shape is also a factor in contracting diabetes, people with larger waist sizes are reported to have a greater risk for type two diabetes. An increased size in fat cells deposit around the waist in most aged adults. .
Second what are the symptoms associated with diabetes mellitus. The first symptoms of diabetes are related to direct effects of high blood sugar levels. When the blood sugar level rises above 160 to 180 mg/dl, glucose passes into the urine. When it becomes even higher, the kidneys excrete more water to dilute the massive amounts of glucose lost. Since the kidneys are producing so much more urine, a person who has diabetes will urinate frequently this is known as polyuria. The excess urine causes great thirst and this is referred to as polydipsia. Most of the calories in ones body are lost in urine weight loss can be a symptom of the first stages of diabetes.