What is Diabetes Mellitus?

No, Diabetes Mellitus is not some exotic new form of diabetes. Diabetes Mellitus is the medical term for diabetes. Thanks to our 20th century lifestyle, Diabetes Mellitus or diabetes as it is more commonly called is one of the most common diseases in the United States and it is estimated that over 16.5 million Americans have Diabetes Mellitus.

Diabetes Mellitus is fatal!

If Diabetes Mellitus is almost as common as flue or cold, then do we really need to bother about it? The answer is yes because unlike common cold, Diabetes Mellitus does not ebb and go away after the mandatory 7 days. If Diabetes Mellitus is left untreated it quickly becomes fatal. In fact, Diabetes Mellitus is one of the contributors to premature deaths in the United States.

What is Diabetes Mellitus?

Diabetes Mellitus is a metabolic disorder that occurs when insulin produced in our body is either insufficient or cannot be utilized. Insulin of course is a hormone required by our body to convert starches, sugar and other foods into energy that we use for our day to day activity. Even when we sleep or just sit in one place and think we utilize energy. People suffering Diabetes Mellitus therefore have high levels of unutilized or un-metabolized blood sugar (glucose) in the body. Therefore, on the one hand they have very low levels of energy and on the other hand, they have high levels of glucose. Energy starvation caused by Diabetes Mellitus leads to shut down of the body (comma) and ultimately death.

Just as our body temperature needs to be maintained at a constant 98.6° Fahrenheit, our blood glucose level too needs to be maintained within a very narrow range. There is a complex mechanism that does it but the chief controllers are insulin and Glucagon.

There are three main types of Diabetes Mellitus or diabetes:
Type I diabetes, Type II diabetes and Gestational diabetes

Why is Diabetes Mellitus more prevalent in modern times?

The first two forms of Diabetes Mellitus i.e. Diabetes Type I & II are called lifestyle diseases because they are triggered by what we eat, when we eat and our activity levels. To a lesser extent, Type II diabetes can also be triggered by depression, tension or trauma.

Over the past few years our lifestyles have changed dramatically. We now have machines in the kitchen and house, machines that get us to work and machines at the place of work. Diabetes Mellitus is more prevalent in modern times because on the one hand our physical activity level has dramatically reduced while on the other, we’ve been enticed with unhealthy food including but not limited to; deep fries, ice creams, chocolates, pizzas and mouth watering pastries.

Do people with Diabetes Mellitus lose weight?

People with untreated Diabetes Mellitus will lose weight. When the body is unable to obtain energy from glucose, it finds an alternate solution – break down fat and protein and convert it into energy. The drop in the person’s weight can be quite dramatic and extremely unhealthy.

Check out for Type 2 diabetes information and What is high blood sugar