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Learn More about Diabetes

Diabetes is a serious, common, and costly disease. Yet, it is controllable and – for type 2 diabetes – preventable.

What is Diabetes?

Diabetes is a serious disease where your blood glucose (blood sugar) is too high. Our bodies get glucose or sugar from the food we eat and use it for energy. There are two main types of diabetes:

Type 1 diabetes:

  • In type 1 diabetes the body does not make insulin.
  • Insulin helps the body use the glucose from food for energy.
  • People with type 1 need to take insulin every day.

Type 2 diabetes:

  • In type 2 diabetes the body does not make or use insulin well.
  • People with type 2 often need to take pills or insulin.
  • Type 2 is the most common form of diabetes.

Gestational  diabetes:

  • Gestational Diabetes may occur when a woman is pregnant.
  • Gestational diabetes raises a woman’s risk of getting another type of diabetes, mostly type 2, for the rest of her life.
  • It raises her child’s risk of being overweight and getting diabetes.

What is Pre-Diabetes?

Pre-diabetes is a condition in which people have blood glucose (blood sugar) levels higher than normal but not high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes.

People with pre-diabetes have an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and stroke.  

Complications of Diabetes:

Diabetes can cause serious health complications including heart disease, blindness, kidney failure, and amputations of the foot or leg.

It is important that people with diabetes make healthy food choices, stay at a healthy weight, and be physically active every day.

To learn more about diabetes, or to take an online risk test, visit the American Diabetes Association (ADA) website.


Related Information:
The American Diabetes Association (ADA)
Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC)
Indian Health Services Division of Diabetes Treatment & Prevention
Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation
National Diabetes Education Program (NDEP)
National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse (NDIC)
National Institute of Diabetes & Digestive & Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
Medline Plus' Diabetes Tutorial
US Department of Veteran's Affairs VA Diabetes Program