Type I & Type II Diabetes

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Type I Diabetes

Diabetes mellitus is a chronic health condition where sufferers cannot properly control their blood glucose concentration. Type I diabetes sufferers cannot produce insulin.

Cause

Type I diabetes is caused when the beta cells in the pancreas are attacked by the immune system.
The beta cells become damaged and can no longer produce insulin.
Some people are more genetically predisposed to type I diabetes than others. It normally develops during childhood.

Hyperglycaemia

Eating causes the blood glucose concentration to increase.
People with type I diabetes cannot produce insulin to counteract the increased levels of glucose so the blood glucose level remains high.
This is called hyperglycaemia.
Hyperglycaemia can lead to death if it is not treated.

Treatment

Insulin therapy is used to treat type I diabetes.
Insulin is injected regularly during the day or an insulin pump can be used continuously.
Too much insulin can cause a fall in glucose levels called hypoglycaemia so insulin therapy must be carefully monitored.

Diet

Controlling intake of glucose is also important to prevent a sudden increase in glucose levels.

Type 2 Diabetes

Type 2 diabetes sufferers don't produce enough insulin or cannot respond to insulin. Type II usually develops later in life than type I.

Cause

Type 2 diabetes is correlated with obesity, lack of exercise, age and family history.
Type 2 diabetes develops when the beta cells in the pancreas no longer produce enough insulin or when the muscle and liver cells stop responding to insulin.

Hyperglycaemia

Type 2 diabetes can lead to hyperglycaemia. This is when blood glucose levels are higher than the optimum level.

Treatment

Type 2 diabetes is treated by eating a healthy diet and exercising.
In some cases, medication is used to lower glucose levels or in rare cases, insulin injections are used.

Preventing Type 2 Diabetes

The food industry has been criticised for its role in contributing to the rise in obesity and consequently type 2 diabetes. Initiatives have been introduced to tackle this growing problem.

Healthy lifestyle

Health advisors recommend a lifestyle that involves:
- A balanced diet that is low in salt, fat and sugar.
- Regular exercise.

Change4life

The NHS 'Change4life' campaign has been introduced.
The campaign educates on how to lead a healthy lifestyle.
The campaign is designed to decrease the risk of developing type II diabetes.

Food content

The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends that the food industry should help combat the rise in obesity and diabetes by:
- Reducing levels of sugar, saturated fats and salt in processed food products.
- Developing healthy, alternative products.
- Having clear and simple labelling on food items showing the nutritional content (e.g. fat, sugar and salt content).
- Promoting and market healthier foods, especially to children.