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Diabetes is a disorder in the body's ability to use blood sugar (glucose). Glucose is the main source of energy for the human body. It is taken from the starches and sugars that people eat. It travels through the bloodstream, circulating throughout the body. Normally, the body's tissues can absorb the glucose and use it for energy with the help of insulin. Produced by the pancreas (an organ behind the stomach), insulin is a hormone secreted in response to the natural increase in blood sugar after a meal. Unless the body has enough insulin and the ability to use insulin properly, glucose will simply build up in the bloodstream and then get flushed from the body in the urine, rather than go into the cells to feed them. Therefore, people with untreated diabetes may have dangerously high blood sugar levels. These high blood sugar levels can lead to a variety of symptoms (e.g., weakness, thirst) in the short-term, and serious consequences such as heart attack, stroke or other consequences of diabetes in the long-term. Diabetes affects about 10 to 20 million Americans – about six percent of the United States population. Because diabetes has a significant genetic component, those with one or more diabetic relatives are advised to be especially vigilant in maintaining a low-fat, low-to- moderate sugar diet and exercising regularly. African-American, Hispanic, Asian and Native American individuals are at a higher risk of developing the condition. A quick, simple blood test or urinalysis can check for diabetes. |
