Diabetes is a condition in which the pancreas does not produce sufficient amounts of insulin or the liver is resistant to insulin. Untreated diabetes can cause nerve damage, blindness and death. Type 2 diabetes, also known as "late onset diabetes," can usually be controlled through dietary restrictions. If there is a defect in the insulin system, limiting the need for excessive amounts of insulin will make cell damage less likely to occur.
Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes
Type 1 diabetes is a developmental condition that occurs at birth or in early childhood. In type 1 diabetes, the pancreas does not produce insulin or produces very limited amounts of insulin. Type 2 diabetes is a condition that occurs later in life in individuals whose bodies have become resistant to insulin. Insulin is a hormone that helps to transport glucose to the body's cells and store excess glucose as glycogen in the muscles and liver or as body fat in the body's fat cells. When insulin is absent or the body is resistant to it, glucose stays in the bloodstream until it is excreted in the urine.
Weight Loss or Weight Gain?
There is typically some confusion surrounding the question of whether diabetes leads to weight gain or weight loss. In diabetes, at least some of the glucose in the bloodstream is secreted in the urine and so is not used as an energy source by the cells or stored as fat. So, other things being equal, untreated diabetes results in weight loss. In type 2 diabetes, insulin can still do its job, albeit at a slower pace. So, if a person with type 2 diabetes consumes extreme amounts of food, she can still get fat. There is also a correlation between obesity and type 2 diabetes. So, many people with diabetes 2 are overweight, because their extra weight led to the diabetic condition.
Why Can Type 2 but not Type 1 Diabetes Be Controlled Through Diet?
In type 1 diabetes, the pancreas produces insignificant amounts of insulin, if any. Type 1 diabetes, therefore, can normally only be controlled through a combination of diet and insulin injections. In type 2 diabetes, the resistance to insulin is usually partial. This means that some insulin is able to do its job. So, in type 2 diabetes, insulin injections usually are not necessary. The right kind of diet can normally control type 2 diabetes.
A Diet for Type 2 Diabetes
Since insulin resistance is the main characteristic of type 2 diabetes, reducing the amounts of insulin needed in the metabolic process is an imperative. The greatest spikes in insulin occur after consuming sugar or processed carbohydrates. These carbohydrates easily convert into glucose and cause a significant rise in blood sugar. Complex carbohydrates found in whole grain pasta and bread and brown rice do not break down as quickly. So, they cause less fluctuations in insulin. However, fat and protein cause the smallest fluctuations in blood sugar. So, a diet low in carbohydrates may be helpful in controlling type 2 diabetes.
