• DIET:

  Being or not diabetic, the diet that everyone should have has to be sane, varied and balanced.

  Be in a good nutritive state:

  • Food provides the nutritive substances that the body needs to work well. The common diet has to include milky products, flour products, proteins, vegetables, fruit and fat.

  • The quantity of each should be the necessary to be properly fed and to keep good health.

  • Prevent illnesses linked to an excessive consumption of fat (circulatory illnesses, increase of cholesterol level, obesity).

  • Moderation in the consumption of fat is highly recommended because its excess can drive to obesity and an increase of cholesterol level.

  • Help to regulate the blood sugar level, together with the rest of treatments of diabetes (capsules or insulin, exercise...).

  • The food that contains carbohydrates, called also sugars, is the one that has to be controlled most accurately.

  • This food, once the digestion is over, is transformed by the organism in glucose. That is why it is directly related with the blood sugar level.

  Contain carbohydrates:

  • SUGAR AND SWEETENED FOOD: It has to be excluded from the common diet due to its high level of carbohydrates and its fast way of being transferred into the blood.

  • FLOUR PRODUCTS/FRUIT/MILKY PRODUCTS: They have a high amount of carbohydrates. Their consumption has to be controlled.

  • VEGETABLES: They can be eaten freely, due to their insignificant amount of carbohydrates and their high amount of fibre.

  
  

• TREATMENT WITH INSULIN OR ORAL ANTI-DIABETICS (CAPSULES):

  The proper treatment’s choice will depend on the reserve of insulin remaining, and on the age of appearance of the illness.

  Diabetes type II or not insulin-dependent is treated, at the beginning, with controlled diet and physical exercise. If these measures are not enough to get a good control, then the treatment with oral anti-diabetics or insulin begins.

  The oral anti-diabetics are capsules used to diminish the blood sugar level. They are the following: Sulphonyreas, which stimulate the pancreas to make free the insulin and contribute to its action; Biguanides, which help the cells to use the glucose, making more efficient the few existent insulin; and Acarbose, which slows down the arrival of carbohydrates from the digestive organs to the blood.

  The young diabetic (with diabetes type I)’s treatment has to start necessarily with insulin. The Insulin is a hormone segregated by the pancreas necessary for life.

  At the moment, the insulin used is called "human", which has a chemical structure equal to the one that the insulin produced by the pancreas has, although it is not obtained from people.

  The insulin is not active when it is incorporated orally, because the stomach destroys it. That is why it has to be injected.

  
  

• PHYSICAL EXERCISE:

  Exercise is part of the treatment because proper physical activity helps to control the blood glucose level, contributes to the loss of weight, the risk of heart illnesses diminishes, and gives positive psychological effects.

  The best exercise for diabetic people is that which is done regularly (daily and at the same time, if it is possible), avoiding an excess.

  Each one can choose the kind of exercise depending on preferences and capability. A wrong-programmed exercise can result in loss of control over diabetes. And in this case (levels of sugar above 300 mg/dl, appearance of acetone), sports are totally forbidden.

  
  

• DIABETIC EDUCATION:

  Diabetic education is part of the treatment. It is one of the most efficient weapons to get a good compensation and to avoid complications.

  Education leads to an active and long-lasting life thanks to a right control and allows people to be more independent and to be an efficient doctor’s collaborator.

  Its destination is not only the diabetic’s attention; it also concerns his/her relatives and all the people around.

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