Diabetes is a chronic, often debilitating and sometimes fatal disease, in which the body either cannot produce insulin or cannot properly use the insulin it produces. Insulin is a hormone that controls the amount of glucose (sugar) in the blood. Diabetes leads to high blood sugar levels, which can damage organs, blood vessels and nerves. The body needs insulin to use sugar as an energy source. It is a situation where the sugar level of the blood goes beyond normal.

Diabetes could be very deceptive in the sense that one may not feel sick as the blood sugar rises higher than normal, but rising sugar levels can damage blood vessels in no time. Blood vessels are to the body what fuel hoses are to a vehicle. Imagine them being damaged.

Diabetes is a defect in the body’s ability to convert glucose (sugar) to energy. Glucose is the main source of fuel for our body. When food is digested it is changed into fats, protein, or carbohydrates. Foods that affect blood sugars are called carbohydrates. Carbohydrates, when digested, change to glucose.

When we consume carbohydrates, they are broken into the form of energy which the body recognizes and utilizes called Glucose. Glucose is then transferred to the blood where the cells use them for energy. For this transfer to take place, insulin is needed. The organ than produces this insulin is known as pancreas. They are produced by the better cells in the pancreas.

When a person develops diabetes, the process is somewhat truncated. When production of insulin is insufficient, diabetes develops. This is not a palatable condition to live in or live with.