Definition of Diabetic

Diabetes is a condition that means a person's blood sugar levels are unsafely high. A diabetic person's body either does not produce or correctly use insulin, which allows for the conversion of foods, mainly sugar and starches, into the energy required for life's daily activities. There are four different types of diabetes: Type 1, Type 2, gestational, and pre-diabetes.

Type 1

• Those with Type 1 diabetes have a body that simply fails to produce insulin. The American Diabetic Association estimates that five to ten percent of all people diagnosed with diabetes have Type 1 diabetes.

Type 2

• The most common type of diabetes, people with Type 2 have bodies that both fail to correctly use insulin and have trouble producing it.

Gestational

• Diabetes can occur when a pregnant woman's hormones and weight rapidly change. The American Diabetic Association states that five to 10 percent of pregnant woman with gestational diabetes are found to have diabetes, typically Type 2.

Pre-Diabetes

• Pre-diabetes simply means that a person has a high blood sugar level, but one not high enough to be diagnosed with actual Type 2 diabetes.

Statistics

• There are approximately 23.6 million people in the United States that have diabetes; 23.6 million people is roughly 7.8 percent of the population; and close to 57 million people have pre-diabetes.