The Basics
What is diabetes?
Diabetes is a disease. When you have diabetes, there is too much sugar (called glucose) in your blood. Over time, if it’s not controlled, diabetes can cause serious health problems like heart disease, stroke, and blindness.
Diabetes cannot be cured, but it can be treated.
What is type 2 diabetes?
There is more than one type of diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes. People who are overweight are more likely to get type 2 diabetes.
After a meal, the food you eat turns into glucose. Glucose is carried by your blood to other parts of the body. Your body depends on glucose for energy.
When you have diabetes, your body has trouble turning glucose into energy. Instead of being used by your body, the glucose builds up in your blood. The rest of your body is starved of energy.
What is pre–diabetes?
Pre–diabetes means your blood glucose level is higher than normal. If you have pre–diabetes, you are at risk for serious health problems, like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and stroke.
