What is diabetes

For your body to process food and monitor your blood sugar, it needs insulin. Diabetes occurs when your body either can’t produce insulin or can’t use the insulin it does produce, leading to dangerous levels of blood sugar.

There are two main types of diabetes, though a third one occurs in pregnant women:

Type 1 diabetes

With Type 1 diabetes, your body isn’t making enough insulin because your immune system has attacked the healthy cells necessary for your pancreas to produce it. Type 1 diabetes is generally diagnosed in children and young adults.

Type 2 diabetes

As the most common form of diabetes, Type 2 diabetes occurs when your body is resistant to insulin and isn’t correctly using it to move sugar into your cells. Type 2 Diabetes affects people of all ages, though it’s most frequently diagnosed in middle-aged and older people.

Gestational diabetes

Gestational diabetes occurs in pregnant women, though it generally goes away after the pregnancy. Women with gestational diabetes run the risk of contracting Type 2 diabetes later in life…read more