Diabetes? - Answers

Diabetes is a chronic (long-term) health condition that affects the way your body turns food into energy. With Diabetes, your body either doesn't make enough insulin or doesn't use insulin well, which causes your blood sugar to rise. Too much blood sugar can cause health problems.

Types of Diabetes:

* Type 1 Diabetes: the body's immune system destroys the cells in your pancreas that make insulin. People with Type 1 diabetes need to take insulin every day to stay alive.

* Type 2 Diabetes: the most common type, develops over time. It is linked to obesity and physical inactivity. People with this type initially make insulin, but the cells in the body develop "insulin resistance" and stop responding well to the insulin. Eventually, the pancreas may stop making enough insulin.

* Gestational Diabetes: develops in pregnant women who never had diabetes before. Usually, gestational diabetes goes away after the baby is born. But women who have gestational diabetes are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes later in life.