Diabetes | Overview

If you just found out you have diabetes, you probably have a lot of questions and you may feel a little uncertain. But you're not alone. In the United States, 23.6 million people have diabetes. Most of these people lead full, healthy lives. One of the best things you can do for yourself is to learn all you can about diabetes. This article will tell you some of the basics about diabetes.

Diabetes is a disease that occurs when a persons body doesnt make enough of the hormone insulin or cant use insulin properly. There are 2 types of diabetes. Type 1 diabetes occurs when your bodys pancreas doesnt produce any insulin. Type 2 diabetes occurs when the pancreas either doesnt produce enough insulin or your bodys cells ignore the insulin. Between 90% and 95% of people who are diagnosed with diabetes have type 2 diabetes.

Type 1 diabetes is also called insulin-dependent diabetes. It is sometimes called juvenile diabetes because it is usually discovered in children and teenagers, but adults may also have it.

Type 2 diabetes occurs when the body doesnt produce enough insulin or the bodys cells ignore the insulin.

Yes. In the past, doctors thought that only adults were at risk of developing type 2 diabetes. However, an increasing number of children in the United States are now being diagnosed with the disease. Doctors think this increase is mostly because more children are overweight or obese and are less physically active.

Pre-diabetes occurs when blood sugar levels are higher than they should be, but not so high that your doctor can say you have diabetes. Pre-diabetes is becoming more common in the United States. It greatly increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

The good news is that you can take steps to prevent or delay the onset of full-blown type 2 diabetes by making lifestyle changes, such as eating a healthy diet, reaching and maintaining a healthy weight, and exercising regularly.

Yes, you can live a normal life. You can stay healthy if you do what it takes to control your diabetes.

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Diabetes | Overview