Diabetes & You
What is Diabetes?
Having diabetes means your body doesn't make enough insulin or doesn't use insulin properly. Insulin is a hormone made by a gland near your stomach called the pancreas. Your body uses insulin to carry sugar from your bloodstream to your cells. Sugar is the fuel your body needs for all your activities - whether it's breathing, reading, walking or running. Your body changes the food you eat into a sugar called glucose.
When you have diabetes, sugar isn't carried properly to your cells so too much sugar stays in your bloodstream. This is called hyperglycemia, or high blood sugar. Left untreated, high blood sugar can cause a lot of damage to your body.
What is Type 1 Diabetes?
Type 1 diabetes can occur at any age, but it often occurs in children and young adults. It is sometimes called juvenile diabetes. With type 1 diabetes, your body makes little or no insulin.
What is Type 2 Diabetes?
Type 2 diabetes is the most common. It usually occurs as people age, but recently, it has become more common in younger adults and children. In type 2 diabetes, your body produces too little insulin and your cells become resistant to the insulin so it does not work as well.
A balanced diet and exercise are part of treatment plans for both type 1 and type 2 Diabetes.
What is Gestational Diabetes?
Gestational diabetes is high blood glucose occurring exclusively in pregnant women who did not previously have diabetes. About 5% of pregnant women develop gestational diabetes. It usually occurs around the 24th week of pregnancy, when the body produces large amounts of hormones to help the baby grow. These hormones cause insulin resistance and unless the woman can produce more insulin to overcome the resistance, the blood glucose will rise. High blood glucose levels may cause the baby to grow large.
Gestational diabetes usually disappears once the baby is born. However it must be treated to reduce the risk of problems for you and your baby. Achieving excellent blood glucose levels will result in a healthy and safe outcome for you and your baby.