What is Diabetes?
There are about 3500 young people under the age of 18 in New Zealand with diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is the most common type of diabetes in young people, although Type 2 diabetes is on the increase, with about 500 young people throughout New Zealand with Type 2. Diabetes has been diagnosed in newborns right through to people in their sixties.
Diabetes is an auto-immune disorder; this means that the body’s immune system destroys the cells in the pancreas that produce insulin. When the body does not have insulin in it then you get a build up of glucose or sugar in the blood stream, because insulin is used to transport glucose around your body into the fat cells and muscle cells where it is used for energy.
Although Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes share the name diabetes they are very different. For people with Type 1 diabetes their body produces no insulin at all and they have to get insulin by having injections every day (up to 5 times a day). The reason for why people get Type 1 diabetes is unknown, and therefore Type 1 diabetes can not be prevented and there is no cure. However, it can be managed and managed well so that you can live a really healthy and active life.
For people with Type 2 diabetes their body does not produce enough insulin or their body does not use insulin effectively. For people with Type 2 diabetes they may need to take tablets and/or do a lot of exercise and make changes to their diet. Type 2 diabetes can also be managed well.
Managing diabetes is bit like a juggling act, where physical activity, food, and insulin are the three juggling balls. In general, the way it works is that insulin and physical activity make blood glucose levels go down, and food makes blood glucose levels go up. Because of this, people with diabetes have to test their blood glucose levels every day sometimes up to eight times a day. It is often thought that people with diabetes are not allowed to eat sugar or sweet food. This is not true! As with everyone, people with diabetes have to eat a healthy and balanced diet. The most important food group that people with diabetes have to be aware of is carbohydrates, because our bodies change carbohydrates into energy.
Just growing up is stressful, so learning to manage diabetes on top of that is doubly stressful! So it is really important that they get support from their families, friends, their school and their community.
For more information about diabetes you can visit the Diabetes New Zealand Website by clicking here or you can go to our links page by clicking here.