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 Insulin is a hormone that is made in your pancreas, an organ in your abdomen. Insulin is needed to convert sugar, starches, and other foods you eat into energy. When the pancreas functions normally, it produces extra insulin in response to high blood sugar. This insulin allows cells to absorb the glucose they need out of the bloodstream, returning your blood to a normal sugar level. Diabetes occurs when your body either does not make enough insulin or is unable to use the insulin it does produce properly - causing your body to have potentially damaging high blood sugar levels. The two most common types of diabetes are type1 and type 2.
Type 1 diabetes has also been called insulin-dependent diabetes or juvenile-onset diabetes (because it is typically diagnosed in childhood, although it can occur in adolescents and adults as well). About 10% of people with diabetes have type 1. In the most common form of type 1 diabetes, insulin-producing cells in the pancreas are destroyed by the body's own immune system. The trigger that starts this process is currently unknown. Because the insulin-producing cells are either not present or not functioning, people with type 1 diabetes usually require many insulin injections per day or an insulin pump. They must also ensure that their lifestyle includes a healthy diet and enough physical activity.
You may have been told you have "pre-diabetes." What your health care provider is likely referring to are states where your blood sugar is higher than normal, but it is lower than the cut-off for the diagnosis of type 2 diabetes. There are two types of pre-diabetes: impaired fasting glucose (IFG) and impaired glucose tolerance (IGT).
Experiencing pre-diabetes does not mean that you will definitely go on to develop diabetes, but it does mean your body is not keeping blood sugar at the normal target levels. Pre-diabetes is a warning sign that you should become more conscious of your nutrition and lifestyle and make changes to help prevent or delay the onset of diabetes and reduce the risk of heart disease. Making changes at this stage is critical because long-term damage to your body, especially to your heart and blood vessels, could already be occurring during pre-diabetes.
Type 2 diabetes is sometimes called adult-onset diabetes or non-insulin-dependent diabetes (even though many people with type 2 require insulin injections). It is much more common than type 1, with about 90% of people with diabetes having type 2. In type 2 diabetes, the pancreas is unable to produce enough insulin or the body is unable to properly use the insulin that is produced. Type 2 diabetes is usually diagnosed in adults, but overweight or obese children and younger adults are also at risk. Treatment requires a healthy diet and physical activity and may also include oral medications and/or insulin injections.
Gestational diabetes affects a small number of women when they are pregnant. Treatment always includes a healthy and personalized diet and may also include insulin injections. Although it usually goes away once the baby is born, both the mother and baby may be at higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in life.
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