Did you know that Adult Onset diabetes is another name for type 2 diabetes? Even though their names are different, they refer to the same health condition. Adult Onset (or type 2) diabetes is different from type 1, which is autoimmune, and the person who has it is born with it. It is in their genes, although it may be dormant for a while. It wakes up, or becomes active, at a time unique to each person who has it. For people with adult onset diabetes, it is called that because it typically makes its presence known in adulthood. Once a person approaches middle age, if they are going to develop type 2 diabetes, that’s when it will occur.
Even though it has a slightly different name than type 2 diabetes, Adult Onset diabetes acts the same inside the body. For some people, it begins with insulin resistance. This means that patients body works properly at first. Their pancreas creates insulin and the body uses it as a partner with the food that is eaten in order to fuel the body and give it energy. But for some reason, the body will begin resisting the insulin that is created. Enough insulin is made by the body, but the body stubbornly refuses to use it like it should.
Over time, the body makes the change from insulin resistance to full on diabetes. This is where the pancreas simply stops making the required amount of insulin. This means that extra sugar piles up in the bloodstream and causes inflammation as well as high blood sugar levels.
Insulin typically is used by the body to process the sugar from the food that is eaten, and converting it to energy which is used immediately as fuel, or stored for later use. If the insulin is not produced in quantities enough to break down the food into sugar and convert it appropriately, then it causes a chain reaction inside the body.
First, the food isn’t converted properly into fuel. Nearly every cell has a sort of “gas tank” which needs filling to perform its job, and if those gas tanks aren’t filled then they will sputter and run out of energy to perform their jobs, much like your car will stop running once it runs out of gas. Just imagine this on a scale of millions of cells in the body, desperate for fuel so they can perform their duties.
Also, blood sugar begins to pile up in the body. It simply floats around in your bloodstream and makes you feel just miserable. It can irritate the lining of the blood vessels as well. Your kidneys will increase urine output in order to excrete the excess sugar from the body, which means you will use the bathroom more often.
In addition you will find yourself feeling both hungrier and thirstier. Both of these are classic signs of diabetes. This is because when you eat, your body sends a signal to the brain when you are satisfied. But because of the insulin problem, there is a miscommunication between your stomach and the brain. You might find yourself feeling hungry just a few minutes after you have finished eating, which can be very frustrating.