Understanding Diabetes and Types

What is Diabetes?
Diabetes is a condition where the body has trouble keeping blood glucose (sugar) at a healthy level. Normally, the hormone insulin helps move glucose from the food we eat into our cells for energy. With diabetes, the body either doesn’t make enough insulin, doesn’t use it properly, or both.

This means glucose builds up in the blood instead of being used for energy. Over time, high glucose levels can affect health, but with the right care—healthy eating, physical activity, medications, and monitoring—people with diabetes can live well and stay healthy.

• Type 1 Diabetes

  • The body’s immune system mistakenly attacks the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas.

  • This means little or no insulin is made, so people with type 1 diabetes need insulin every day to survive.

  • It usually appears in children, teens, or young adults, but can develop at any age.

• Type 2 Diabetes

  • The body still makes insulin but doesn’t use it properly (insulin resistance) or doesn’t make enough.

  • It’s the most common type of diabetes and is often linked to lifestyle factors, genetics, and age.

  • Management may include healthy eating, exercise, medication, and sometimes insulin.Description text goes here

• Gestational Diabetes

  • Diabetes that develops during pregnancy when the body can’t produce enough insulin to meet extra needs.

  • It usually goes away after the baby is born, but it increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in life.

• Other Less Common Types

  These include genetic forms (like MODY), pancreatic diabetes, cystic fibrosis–related diabetes or diabetes caused by certain medications or medical conditions.