There are two major types of diabetes, but they don't have very
exciting names. They're called type 1 and type 2. Let's find out
about type 2 diabetes (say: dye-uh-be-tees), a health problem
that affects kids and adults. What Is Diabetes? Diabetes is a
disease that affects how the body uses glucose (say: gloo-kose),
a sugar that is the body's main source of fuel. Like a CD player
needs batteries, your body needs glucose to keep running. Here's
how it should work: Insulin helps the glucose get into the
body's cells. Your body gets the energy it needs. The pancreas
is a long, flat gland in your belly that helps your body digest
food. It also makes insulin. Insulin is kind of like a key that
opens the doors to the cells of the body. It lets the glucose
in. Then the glucose can move out of the blood and into the
cells. But if someone has diabetes, the body either can't make
insulin or the insulin doesn't work in the body like it should.
The glucose can't get into the cells normally, so the blood
sugar level gets