Diabetes 101: What it is, what causes it, and how to manage it

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Monday, November 1, 2021

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Diabetes 101: What it is, what causes it, and how to manage it

Jennifer Gagliano RDN CDCES, jgagliano@stph.org

(Stock image)

November is Diabetes Awareness Month, and while we’ve all heard of diabetes, what exactly is it and what causes it?

Well, ideally, your body breaks down the carbohydrates you eat into blood sugar (blood glucose) and uses this sugar for energy. In order to use this energy, the sugar needs to get into your cells.

Insulin, a hormone, opens the cells to let the sugar in. If the sugar can’t get into your cells, it stays in your blood and causes high blood sugar levels. This elevation beyond a normal level is diabetes.

High blood sugar levels cause stress to tiny blood vessels in your eyes, kidneys, and nerves, potentially leading to long-term health problems.

The most common forms of diabetes are Type 1, Type 2 and gestational diabetes.

Gestational diabetes develops in pregnant women who have never had diabetes. All doctors screen for this after the 24th week of pregnancy.

If you have gestational diabetes, your baby could be at higher risk for health problems. It’s usually cured when your baby is born, but it increases a mother’s future risk of Type 2 diabetes. 

Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes have very different reasons for why glucose levels are high.

When you have Type1 diabetes, your pancreas doesn’t make insulin. The only treatment for this is taking insulin.

With Type 2 diabetes, your body doesn’t use insulin properly.

In this case, think of insulin like a swipe card with a magnetic strip that allows the glucose to pass from the blood into the cell. When the swipe card – in this case insulin – gets used too much because of so much sugar in the blood, the insulin doesn’t work as well anymore, like a swipe card with a worn-out magnetic strip.

When this occurs, more and more insulin is required to get the sugar into the cell. This is called insulin resistance, which can lead to Type 2 diabetes.

Having high blood sugars doesn’t cause pain, but it does wreak havoc in your body, so it’s important to bring high blood sugars back into normal ranges. Treatments for Type 2 diabetes may include diet, exercise, pills, injectables or insulin.

The following are some symptoms of Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes:

  • Increased thirst
  • Increased urination
  • Unexplained weight loss
  • Blurred vision
  • Increased hunger
  • Fatigue

The good news is that, regardless of what kind of diabetes you have, St. Tammany Health System’s Diabetes Education program provides all the resources and support you need not just to manage your diabetes but to thrive in the process.

Even better: This service is covered by most insurance providers. Learn more at StTammany.health/DiabetesED or call (985) 871-5983 to schedule an appointment with one of our diabetes educators.


Jennifer Gagliano is a registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator with St. Tammany Health System’s Diabetes Education program.

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