what is diabets

Diabetes is a chronic disease that affects how your body turns food into energy. When you eat, your body breaks down most of the food into sugar (glucose), which is your bodys main source of energy. With diabetes, your body doesn’t make enough insulin or can’t use it as well as it should. Insulin is a hormone that regulates blood glucose. As a result, too much blood sugar stays in your bloodstream, which can cause serious health problems over time, such as heart disease, vision loss, and kidney disease. There are several types of diabetes, including type 1, type 2, and gestational diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is thought to be caused by an autoimmune reaction that stops your body from making insulin, while type 2 diabetes occurs when the cells in your body don’t use insulin properly. Gestational diabetes develops during pregnancy and usually goes away after the baby is born, but it increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in life. Symptoms of diabetes include feeling very thirsty, needing to urinate more often than usual, blurred vision, feeling tired, and losing weight unintentionally. There isn’t a cure yet for diabetes, but losing weight, eating healthy food, and being active can help manage the condition. Other things you can do to help include taking medicine as prescribed, getting diabetes self-management education and support, and making and keeping health care appointments.