Diabetes: the frequently asked questions

Diabetes is a long-term condition that causes a person’s blood glucose (sugar) level to become too high. According to Diabetes UK, 4.3million people in the UK are living with a diagnosis of diabetes.¹

We take a look at the commonly asked questions on diabetes, from what type 1 diabetes is compared to type 2 and the symptoms for both, as well as how they can both be treated.

What is diabetes?

Diabetes occurs when your body doesn’t produce enough insulin or is unable to use the insulin it produces as well as it should (insulin resistance).

The hormone insulin is naturally produced in the pancreas. It important because it helps move glucose out of the blood and into our cells, where it’s converted into energy and used for energy and repair. If you don’t have diabetes, your pancreas senses when glucose has entered your bloodstream and releases the right amount of insulin. So, it manages the amount of glucose that enters your cells.

When you have type 2 diabetes, the lack of / reduced insulin or insulin resistance causes a build-up of glucose – a type of sugar – in the blood, which can lead to serious health complications, including:

• heart attacks,
• strokes,
• complications with your eyes, feet and liver, if not controlled.

What’s the difference between type 1 and type 2 diabetes?

In both type 1 and type 2 diabetes the blood sugar levels can be too high.

Type 1 diabetes

In type 1 diabetes your body attacks the cells that produce insulin, so the body cannot make its own natural insulin.

It tends to start earlier in life, usually in childhood or teenage years, but can be developed at any age and must be treated with insulin injections from the outset.² Type 1 diabetes is less common than type 2, with less than one in ten people in the UK with type 1.³

Whereas type 1 occurs when the body produces no insulin at all, type 2 occurs when the body doesn’t produce enough insulin or when the cells in the body don’t react to insulin as they should (known as insulin resistance).

Type 2 diabetes

Type 2 is more common, with over 90% of all adults with diabetes having type 2.⁴

Type 2 more closely linked to being overweight and your ethnic background. It tends to run in families, typically starts in adulthood and can often be treated with diet, maintaining a healthy weight and tablets, at least in the early stages.

You are more at risk of developing type 2 diabetes if you:

• are over 40 years old, or over 25 if you're from an Asian, Black African or Black Caribbean ethnic background,
• have a close relative with diabetes (such as a parent, brother or sister),
• are overweight,
• or living with obesity or you are not very physically active.⁵

Regular treatment and follow-ups are crucial for both type 1 and type 2 diabetes as both can cause serious complications if not properly controlled.

What are the most common symptoms of diabetes?

The most common symptoms for type 1 diabetes are known as the four Ts:

• Toilet – going for a wee more often, especially at night. 
• Thirsty – being constantly thirsty and not being able to quench it.
• Tired – being incredibly tired and having no energy.
• Thinner – losing weight without trying to or looking thinner than usual.⁶

Other symptoms can also include: blurry vision, cuts taking longer to heal than normal, or frequent infections such as thrush.

The above symptoms can also be the same for type 2 but they may not be as noticeable, as many people with type 2 don’t realise they have it. It’s also true that not everyone gets symptoms, in fact 6 out of 10 people have no symptoms when they are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.⁷

Is there a cure for diabetes?

Diabetes is a long-term condition, often lifelong. Currently there’s no known cure. However, the disease can be controlled – often very successfully.

For people with type 1 diabetes that means taking insulin – either by regular injection or through a pump, which drip feeds the insulin into the body throughout the day. There are many different types of insulin available these days, and you and your diabetes nurse specialist will work out which insulin and the device works the best for you.

Type 2 diabetes, however, can be controlled through diet and exercise initially, although tablets are often required as the condition progresses to improve your response to or increase the level of insulin. Sometimes injections are needed to help maintain healthy blood sugar levels.

Diet and food choices

Although there is no specific diet for diabetes there are foods that can help you manage type 2 diabetes. Eating a well-balanced diet with a focus on:

• high fibre foods,
• fruit,
• vegetables,
• wholegrains and pulses,
• low-fat dairy products, and oily fish.⁸

And controlling the amount of foods containing saturated and trans-fatty acids, high-sugar drinks, and foods high in salt content, can all help to keep type 2 diabetes in-check.

It's best to avoid eating too much red and processed meat or highly processed carbs like white bread. Cutting down on these means you’re also reducing your risk of certain cancers and heart diseases.

Try and make changes to your food choices that are realistic and achievable so you’ll stick with them.⁹

What is prediabetes?

Prediabetes occurs when your blood glucose levels are higher than they should be, but not high enough to qualify as type 2 diabetes.

This puts you at increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes. In many cases, changes in diet and being more active can delay or prevent the onset of full-blown diabetes.

What is gestational diabetes?

Gestational diabetes is when a woman is diagnosed with diabetes during pregnancy, but blood glucose levels usually return to normal once the baby is born and any medication is usually stopped.

Blood tests will be taken after the birth to make sure levels have returned to normal and a follow up blood test will be carried out at the six-week postnatal check.

Those who’ve had gestational diabetes have an increased likelihood of developing gestational diabetes in future pregnancies and type 2 diabetes in later life.

Find out more in our NHS gestational diabetes factsheet.

If you are concerned about any of the symptoms above and think you might be diabetic, or you’re worried about your current diabetes diagnosis, then contact you GP and seek medical advice.

References

1. About diabetes – Diabetes UK
2. What is type 1 diabetes? - NHS
3. Type 1 diabetes – Diabetes UK
4. Diabetes – NHS
5. Symptoms, type 2 diabetes – NHS
6. Type 1 diabetes symptoms – Diabetes UK
7. What are the signs and symptoms of diabetes? – Diabetes UK
8. Diabetes type 2 – Diet – NICE
9. What’s the diabetes diet? – Diabetes UK