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It’s important to understand how your body works when you have diabetes. Learning the facts will help you make good choices as you treat. Click on the links below for more information.

Insulin       Treating with insulin
Type 1 diabetes       Low blood glucose level
Type 2 diabetes          Managing diabetes

Insulin
Your body changes most of the food you eat into glucose, a type of sugar. Glucose travels in the blood to the cells in your body. Insulin is a hormone made by your body to help glucose move from the blood into your body cells. That’s where your body changes glucose into energy. People without diabetes have insulin levels that go up and down based on their blood glucose levels (also called blood sugar levels). They release insulin at a steady rate through the day and night, and in bursts during meals.

  • The steady rate of insulin is called “basal” (bay-zul) insulin
  • The burst of insulin during mealtime is called “bolus” (boh-luss) insulin

When you have diabetes, your body doesn’t make insulin, doesn’t make enough insulin, or doesn’t use insulin in the right way. This depends on what type of diabetes you may have.

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Type 1 diabetes
According to the American Diabetes Association (ADA), it is estimated that 5% to 10% of Americans with diabetes have type 1 diabetes. People with type 1 diabetes don’t make any insulin. Although it can occur at any age, type 1 is more commonly diagnosed in children and young adults. The cause is unknown, but there are many factors that may play a role, including genetics.

For information on other Novo Nordisk products that can help treat type 1 diabetes, click here.

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Type 2 diabetes
The most common form of diabetes is type 2 diabetes. People with type 2 diabetes may still make insulin. The problem is, they either don’t make enough insulin, or the body doesn’t use the insulin they produce in the right way. Millions of people around the world have type 2 diabetes. It can occur in both children and adults.

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Treating diabetes with insulin
Some people with type 2 diabetes can treat their condition with diet, exercise, and pills. But because diabetes develops over time, many people may eventually need to take insulin. Needing insulin does not mean your diabetes is worse or that you didn’t follow your diabetes care plan. It just means that your body can no longer make enough insulin, or properly use the insulin you do make. There are different types of insulin:

  • Intermediate- or long-acting insulin takes care of the body’s basal needs
  • Short- or rapid-acting insulin takes care of the body’s bolus needs

NovoLog Mix 70/30 is one insulin that works in two ways. It can help cover both the body’s bolus needs at mealtime and the body’s basal needs for up to 24 hours.

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Low blood glucose levels
Low blood glucose, or hypoglycemia, is the most common side effect of treating with insulin. It can occur when you’ve taken too much medicine, or your eating habits change. It can also occur when you are more active than usual.

Symptoms of mild-to-moderate hypoglycemia include:

  • Sweating
  • Dizziness
  • Shakiness
  • Hunger
  • Tingling sensation around the mouth
  • Pale skin color
  • Headache
  • Sudden moodiness or behavior changes
  • Clumsy or jerky movements
  • Seizure
  • Difficulty paying attention

If you feel these symptoms, check your blood glucose right away. Low blood glucose can lead to severe hypoglycemia, and can cause you to pass out. If you don’t have your glucose meter with you, it’s important to treat low blood glucose symptoms anyway. Always carry a quick source of sugar with you, like glucose tablets or candy. And speak to your doctor about ways to treat and prevent low blood glucose.

Some people may not feel any signs of low blood glucose before they have a problem. This is one reason why frequent blood glucose checking is important.

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Managing diabetes
An important step you can take in managing your diabetes is to make some adjustments to the way you live. Even the smallest change may result in great benefits. For example, drinking diet soda instead of regular may help you get better blood glucose results.

One important step to take is to check your blood glucose levels as directed by your doctor. You may need to test both before and after meals.

  • Fasting plasma glucose (FPG) is your blood glucose level before your first meal of the day
  • Postprandial plasma glucose (PPG) is your blood glucose level after meals (2-3 hours later)

Covering both FPG and PPG can help you control your diabetes. And the dual action of NovoLog Mix 70/30 can help. Your doctor will give you an A1C test regularly. An A1C test:

  • Checks your progress by measuring your average blood glucose level over 3 months

You and your doctor can set goals for your A1C results. The ADA recommends an A1C level of less than 7%. Taking steps now to manage your diabetes can help you today, so you can have a healthier tomorrow.

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