Diabetes

Diabetes is...

When your body can't process sugar (glucose) normally.

In a person without diabetes, carbohydrates you eat are broken down to glucose, then your body sends out insulin to put that glucose into storage. With diabetes, too little insulin goes out OR insulin isn’t able to put the glucose into storage as well as it should. In people with type 1 diabetes or when type 2 diabetes worsens, the body stops making insulin all together. At that point, you must get shots of insulin.

Why is high blood sugar a problem?

Over time, blood sugar that is too high can cause lots of problems such as:

nerve damage
loss of limbs (severe nerve damage can require amputation of feet and hands)
blindness
kidney failure
increased risk of heart disease and Alzheimer's Disease
death

Type 1 vs Type 2 Diabetes

Type 1 diabetes normally begins in childhood, and unfortunately cannot be prevented. Type 2 diabetes, on the other hand, is preventable. Which leads us to...

Diabetes Prevention

There are lots of things you can do to reduce your risk. Even if close family members have type 2 diabetes, you can still prevent it! Here's how:

Move more. See our exercise tips and quick ways to burn calories for ideas.
Eat more healthy foods. Eat lots of fruits and vegetables, lean protein, whole grains, very little fried foods and processed foods... basically, follow MyPlate guidelines!
Maintain a healthy weight. Following the two points above will help. You can also see about how many calories you need here.

If you have other questions about diabetes prevention, talk with your doctor or Registered Dietitian. For general, non-medical questions, use our Ask a Nutritionist button to ask us. It's FREE! Lots of other resources are available from the American Diabetes Association and National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.