Diabetes is a chronic medical condition that affects how your body turns food into energy. When you eat, your body breaks down carbohydrates into glucose, which is a type of sugar. Insulin, a hormone produced by the pancreas, helps glucose enter your cells to be used as energy.
In people with diabetes, the body either doesn’t produce enough insulin or doesn’t effectively use the insulin it produces. This results in elevated levels of glucose in the blood, which can lead to serious health complications if not properly managed.
Often diagnosed in children and young adults, it occurs when the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. People with type 1 diabetes require insulin injections or an insulin pump to survive.
This is the most common type of diabetes, typically occurring in adults, though increasingly found in children due to rising obesity rates. In type 2 diabetes, the body becomes resistant to the effects of insulin or doesn’t produce enough insulin to maintain normal glucose levels. It can often be managed with lifestyle changes such as diet and exercise, oral medications, or insulin injections.
This type of diabetes develops during pregnancy and usually resolves after childbirth. However, women who have had gestational diabetes have an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in life.
Managing diabetes involves monitoring blood sugar levels, eating a balanced diet, exercising regularly, and taking medications as prescribed. Proper management helps prevent complications such as heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, nerve damage, and vision problems associated with diabetes.
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