Type 1 diabetes is a condition where the pancreas no longer produces the hormone insulin whose job it is to take sugar out of the blood and put it into the body’s cells. This can cause blood sugar levels to become dangerously high causing damage to the body’s organs. Type 1 diabetes, otherwise known as insulin dependent diabetes or juvenile onset diabetes is a lifelong condition that needs to be managed with regular insulin injection and is believed to affect around 2.9 million people in the UK.
Type 1 diabetes often develops in people before the age of 40, usually during the teenage years. If you have these symptoms it is worth speaking to your GP about diabetes:
- feeling very thirsty
- frequently urination
- fatigue and lethargy
- weight loss
The cause of type 1 diabetes is unknown but it is now classed as an autoimmune condition, where your immune system attacks your own cells, in this case the beta cells of the pancreas where insulin is produced. Once these cells have been destroyed the condition is irreversible. It is believed that there is a genetic predisposition towards developing the disease that is triggered by environmental factors such as the exposure to certain viruses.
The treatment of type 1 diabetes aims to keep your blood sugar levels as normal as possible, and you will usually be under the care of a specialist diabetes team who will regularly check your blood sugar, cholesterol and glycosalated haemoglobin. Living with diabetes is about eating a healthy diet and exercising regularly.
London nutritionist Steve Hines can work with you and your specialist diabetes team to help prevent some of the serious complications of living with type 1 diabetes.
