Diabetes—a growing epidemic
There isn’t a cure for diabetes, but it can be controlled. Healthy lifestyle habits, taking medicine as needed, getting diabetes self-management education, and keeping appointments with your healthcare team can greatly reduce its impact on your life.
What is diabetes?
Diabetes is a chronic disease that affects how your body turns food into energy. Most of the food you eat is broken down into sugar (also called glucose) and released into your bloodstream. Your pancreas makes insulin, which helps your body use this blood sugar as energy or store it for future use. If you have diabetes, your body either doesn’t make enough insulin, or it can’t use the insulin it makes as well as it should. This means too much blood sugar stays in your bloodstream over time. You can develop serious health problems, such as heart disease, vision loss, and kidney disease.