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Introduction:
What is diabetes?

A person has diabetes when their body’s blood glucose (or blood sugar) levels are higher than normal.

We take in glucose from the foods we eat, and it has the extremely important task of providing energy to all of our body’s cells.

Usually the pancreas, an organ located in between our stomach and spine, produces a hormone called insulin that is responsible for helping blood carry glucose to our cells. But if the pancreas doesn’t make enough insulin, or if the insulin isn’t doing its job, then our body is unable to process the glucose.

Basically, the glucose remains stuck in our blood and cells won’t be receiving this, the energy, which they need to function.

There are three different kinds of diabetes:

Type 1,
Type 2, and
Gestational Diabetes.

The differences between all these will be explained, but much of our discussion will focus mainly on Type 2 diabetes, which is the most common form (and the most easily prevented).

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