Diabetes is a health condition that affects how your body turns food into energy.  It is a chronic disease where your pancreas does not make enough insulin or where cells stop responding to insulin, causing too much blood sugar in your bloodstream.  Over time, this can cause serious health problems, such as heart disease, vision loss, and kidney disease.

There is not a cure for Diabetes, but eating a healthy diet, losing weight, and exercising can make a difference in managing your Diabetes.  Taking medication and getting the proper support to educated yourself about Diabetes, along with keeping appointments with your diabetes specialist, can reduce the impact of Diabetes in your life.

Type 1 Diabetes:

• Thought to be an autoimmune reaction (where body attacks itself by mistake).
• Diagnosed in children, teens and young adults.  
• Need to take insulin every day to survive.
• There is no prevention.

Type 2 Diabetes

• Body does not use insulin well and cannot keep blood sugar at normal levels.
• Usually diagnosed in adults.
• Can be prevented or delayed with healthy lifestyle changes such as losing weight, eating healthy, and exercising.

Prediabetes

• Usually do not know you have it unless medical tests are run.
• Raises your risk of Type 2 Diabetes, heart disease and stroke.
• Can take steps to reverse it through a lifestyle change program.