What Is Diabetes?

Diabetes mellitus (commonly referred to as just “diabetes”) is a disorder in which the body either does not produce or does not properly utilize insulin. Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas, that helps move glucose into the cells, and that is needed to convert sugar, starches, carbohydrates and other food into energy needed for daily life.

Normally, the sugar you take in is digested and broken down to a simple sugar, known as glucose. The glucose then circulates in your blood where it waits to enter cells to be used as fuel.

Because diabetics have a disfunctionality in which the pancreas does not produce insulin, or does not adjust the amount of insulin based on the level of glucose, their bodies can’t use glucose (blood sugar) for energy, which results in elevated blood glucose levels (hyperglycemia) and the eventual urination of sugar out of their bodies.There are three main types of diabetes:

• Type 1 (“insulin-dependent” and previously called “juvenile diabetes”). Type 1 diabetes is associated with a malfunctioning pancreas which does not produce adequate amounts of insulin. It develops most often in children and young adults. Type 1 diabetes is traditionally treated with insulin.
• Type 2 (“noninsulin-dependent” or sometomes called “adult-onset diabetes”). Type 2 diabetes is associated with insulin resistant cells. It is much more common and usually develops in older adults. Type 2 diabetes is now being found at younger ages and is even being diagnosed among children and teens.
• Gestational (pregnancy-related). Some women develop diabetes during pregnancy usually toward the end of pregnancy. It effects approximately 3 to 5 percent of all pregnant women. Although it goes away after pregnancy, these women have a higher risk for developing type 2 diabetes later in life.