What Is Diabetes?

What Is Diabetes?

What Is Diabetes?

 Learn all about insulin, blood sugar, and your body.

 

Have you been diagnosed with diabetes? The first step to managing diabetes is to understand how it changes what’s happening inside your body. Although millions of people in the United States and around the world have diabetes, many are unsure about what the disease is. Simply put, having diabetes means your body either doesn't produce or use the hormone insulin efficiently. Here's a quick look at how your body uses insulin to regulate blood sugar, and how diabetes impacts that process:

Your body converts carbohydrates from the foods you eat into a simple sugar called glucose. That's your body's main source of fuel. During digestion, glucose passes into your bloodstream, causing your blood sugar levels to rise. Normally, this triggers the release of insulin, a hormone produced by your pancreas. Insulin moves excess glucose out of your bloodstream and into your cells, where it's used for energy.

If you have diabetes, this is where the system breaks down. People with diabetes can no longer regulate blood sugar levels for one of two reasons:

The pancreas produces too little -- or no -- insulin.

The body’s cells resist insulin so it can't move glucose into the cells (this is known as insulin resistance).

The result is an unhealthy buildup of glucose (sugar) in the bloodstream. High blood sugar may not cause immediate, noticeable symptoms, but over time it can damage blood vessels and lead to serious complications. Diabetes complications include heart disease, kidney problems, nerve damage, and blindness. The good news is you can delay or even avoid these complications when you keep blood sugar levels as low as possible with a diabetes-smart diet, exercise, and -- if prescribed -- medication.