Diabetes affects the way the body uses food. It is caused by a lack of insulin, a hormone made in the pancreas that is essential for converting energy from food. Insulin is necessary for the body to process nutrients (carbohydrates, fats, and proteins), and its absence causes high sugar (glucose) levels in the blood.

There are two types of diabetes:

* In type 1 diabetes, which usually starts in childhood, the pancreas stops making insulin altogether. It is also called insulin-dependent diabetes.

* In type 2 diabetes, which starts in adulthood (and in some teenagers) the body still makes some insulin. But it doesn?t make enough insulin, or the body can?t use it properly. It is also called non-insulin-dependent diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes can often be controlled by weight loss, sensible eating, and medication to improve the insulin supply or help it work better.

But type 1 diabetes must always be treated with insulin injections. Insulin can?t be taken by mouth because it would be digested in the stomach, just like food, and the body would be unable to use it.

Insulin is the primary substance responsible for maintaining appropriate blood sugar levels. It is a a hormone that naturally occurs in the body. It is produced in the pancreas. Insulin allows sugar (glucose) to be transported into cells so that they can produce energy or store the glucose until it is needed.

Most of the food we eat is turned into glucose, which serves as our main source of energy. Insulin is the ?key? that allows glucose to move from the bloodstream into the body?s billions of cells, where it serves as fuel.

@EDITRULE:

*Glucose can?t get into the cells, so the cells begin to starve. Symptoms: Tiredness, loss of energy, weight loss, even if eating more than usual.

*When the cells can?t get glucose, the body turns to its own store of fat for fuel. The process of burning fat produces acids called ketones. In people with diabetes, these build up in the blood. Symptoms: Urination becomess much more frequent as the body tries to wash excess glucose and ketones out of the body. There is also an increase in thirst to make up for lost fluid.