"Diabetes mellitus," more commonly referred to as "diabetes," is
a condition that causes blood sugar to rise to dangerous levels:
a fasting blood glucose of 126 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL)
or more. Most of the food you eat is turned into glucose, or
sugar, for your body to use for energy. The pancreas, an organ
near the stomach, produces a hormone called insulin. This
hormone is necessary for the body to be able to use sugar or
glucose, the basic fuel for cells in the body. Insulin's role is
to take sugar from the blood into the cells. When your body does
not produce enough insulin and/or does not efficiently use the
insulin it produces, sugar levels rise and build up in the
bloodstream. When this happens, it can cause two problems: How
Diabetes Develops 1. Right away, the body's cells may be starved
for energy. 2. Over time, high blood glucose levels may damage
the eyes, kidneys, nerves or heart. There are two main types of
diabetes: type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes. Both types may be
inherited in ge