What is Diabetes?
Having diabetes means a person’s body doesn't make enough insulin or doesn't use insulin properly. Insulin is a hormone made by a gland near the stomach called the pancreas. Our body uses insulin to carry sugar from our bloodstream to our cells. Sugar is the fuel our body needs for all of our activities — whether it's eating, reading, walking or running. Our body changes the food we eat into a sugar called glucose.

When someone has diabetes, sugar isn't carried properly to their cells so too much sugar stays in their bloodstream. This is called hyperglycemia or high blood sugar. Left untreated, high blood sugar can cause a lot of damage to your body.

There are three common types of diabetes:

• Type 1 Diabetes - A condition that usually occurs in children and young adults, and causes your body to make little or no insulin. Also called Juvenile Diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disorder, which means that the body makes antibodies against itself.
• Type 2 Diabetes – A condition that usually occurs in people over the age of 40, and causes your body to make less insulin or your cells to resist the insulin that it makes. Type 2 diabetes is a metabolic disease, which means it affects how energy is used in the body.
• Gestational Diabetes – Gestational diabetes is high blood sugar that occurs only in pregnant women who have never been diagnosed with diabetes. Pregnancy itself can cause insulin resistance and, therefore, a small number of women develop gestational diabetes because it is more difficult for their body to use insulin during pregnancy.

In type 1 diabetes, the body does not make any insulin so your cells have no way to get the sugar they need.

In type 2 diabetes, either the body does not make enough insulin or the cells don’t respond to the insulin. This makes it harder for your cells to get the sugar they need for food and energy.

A person can help themselves manage their diabetes through education, combining a balanced diet with regular exercise and following the testing and insulin or medication plan prescribed by their doctors. Gestational Diabetes usually goes away once the baby is born.

Explore this site to discover more ways to help your loved one achieve their simple wins.