Diabetes and Prediabetes

What is diabetes?

Prediabetes is a condition where blood glucose levels are higher than normal, but not high enough to merit a diabetes diagnosis. However, many people with prediabetes develop type 2 diabetes. Diabetes, diabetes mellitus, is a metabolism disorder referring to the way our bodies use digested food for energy and growth. Most of what we eat is broken down into glucose, a form of sugar in the blood and the principal source of fuel and energy for our bodies.

Types of diabetes

There are three types of diabetes:

• Type 1 diabetes: Insulin-dependent diabetes, juvenile diabetes, or early-onset diabetes — the body produces little or no insulin because the pancreatic cells that make insulin stop working. This results in high blood sugar.
• Type 2 diabetes: Insulin resistance is the most common type of diabetes, occurring most often in adulthood and often among people with obesity. Over time, as the body repeatedly secretes insulin in large quantities, the cells become less sensitive and no longer respond to insulin the same way. When this happens, the cells do not get fed and blood sugars rise to dangerous levels.
• Gestational diabetes: Affects women during pregnancy and results in progressively rising levels of glucose.