Three Interesting Facts About Diabetes Mellitus

Diabetes mellitus, affectionately referred to as just “diabetes” by almost everyone who has ever heard of the disease, is a condition you would not want to wish upon your worst enemy. Aside from forcing you to change almost every aspect of your lifestyle (say goodbye to All-You-Can-Eat wing night), it could lead to a series of unfortunate complications, such as having your foot cut off and that pesky little thing known as death. Terrifying aspects of a disease that can strike without warning aside, here are some interesting facts overlooked by almost everyone.

Have you ever wondered what the mellitus tacked on to the end of diabetes actually means? Aside from being a fancy word to make it sound more medical-y, it actually has an interesting albeit slightly disturbing history to it. In 1675, a doctor by the name of Thomas Willis, added the term, which is the Latin word for “honey,” due to the taste of the urine diabetes patients being deemed sweet. Although not the first person to notice this (it’s been known for well over a thousand years), the reason for its honey-sweet taste is courtesy of Matthew Dobson, who in 1776 discovered its source to be a build-up of a specific kind of sugar in the urine and blood.

Diabetes is all about urine. But what does that name actually mean? Like many medical terms, its history and meaning lies in the language of the ancient Greeks. It was coined by Aretaeus the Cappadocian, a second-century AD physician who noticed that those with the condition urinated frequently and gave off the appearance of “leaking water.” He named it diabetes, which comes from the Greek word ´¹±²±¯½µ¹½, which when parsed is composed of the prefix “dia,” meaning “across or apart, “ and “bainein,” meaning “to walk or stand.” When put together it means “to straddle,” with the noun form meaning “one who straddles” (diabetes).

To be more specific, the word also means “compass” or “siphon.” It wasn’t until 1425 when the term “diabete” was used to describe the condition in English.

Despite being highly manageable today, the ancients who first discovered the condition considered it to be an automatic death sentence. According to Victor Corneliu Medvei in his book The History of Clinical Endocrinology, despite Aretaeus’ attempts at treating the disease, he considered a diagnosis of this new condition to result in a life that is “short, disgusting and painful.”

In short, ancient conceptions of diabetes can be summed up in two words: urine and pain.

More great information on diabetes can be found at On Top of My Diabetes.

By: BradS1234

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Type2 Diabetes Diet

Diabetes is a prevalent disease in our society today. As many as 23.6 million people have diabetes and nearly 90% of those have type two. These numbers have doubled in the last 20 years and led to the CDC calling it an epidemic. If you have type two diabetes you know there are several things you must do to manage its effect on your life. A type two diabetes diet is perhaps the most important.

Type two diabetes is the most common form of the disease. One of two things is occurring in the body either the liver is not producing enough insulin or the cells are not making proper use of it.

Type 2 diabetes is a form of diabetes that develops when the body does not respond properly to insulin produced by the pancreas, as opposed to type 1 diabetes, in which the pancreas makes no insulin at all. At first, the pancreas keeps up with the added demand by producing more insulin. In time, however, it loses the ability to secrete enough insulin in response to meals.

When you consume food, the body breaks it down sugars and starches into glucose. Glucose is fuel for the different cells in the body and is taken from the blood into the cells via insulin. Therefore, if the insulin levels are inadequate or the cells are resistant to insulin then the cells are not being fed which can lead to a whole host of problems. There are a couple of ways this is dealt with, one is with medications and the other is diet and exercise.

Probably the biggest dietary change for the type 2 diabetic is cutting sugar and simple carbohydrates out of their diet. Sodas, candy, and baked goods are to be avoided because they pose the greatest threat to the diabetic; hyperglycemia otherwise known as high blood sugar.

Instead of the empty calories to be found in high sugar and processed foods you should eat a diet of nutrient rich foods that provide the necessary health benefits that only they can provide. Fruits, vegetables, and protein from lean meats and nuts are a good place to start with a type 2 diabetic diet.

The other important aspect of the diet for those with type 2 diabetes is how often you eat during the day. Instead of eating two or three big meals you need to be eating five or six smaller meals throughout the day. This helps avoid the big blood sugar spikes that are associated with eating big meals. Eating smaller meals will keep you blood sugars at a steady level which is easier to control.

Type 2 diabetes is controllable through diet and excercise in most cases. One of the most common myths about type 2 diabetes is that their is a special "diabetes diet", when in fact the diet for a type 2 diabetic is really no different than that of the general population, with additional emphasis on controlling weight, glucose levels and mitigating risks for heart disease. Heart disease is higher in those diagnosed with diabetes, so limiting the intake of fats, especially saturated fat, salt, and increasing the amount of fiber consumed through friuts and vegetables, will dramatically decrease the risk for heart disease.

By: Health and Glamour
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