Diabetes is a health condition that affects how your body processes carbohydrates for energy. When you eat, your body breaks down carbohydrates into glucose or “blood sugar”. When this blood sugar is released into your bloodstream, the pancreas secretes insulin to assist your body's cells with taking the blood sugar in for energy. With Diabetes, your body either does not produce enough insulin, or your body does not respond normally to insulin. This results in excess glucose remaining in the bloodstream. Too much glucose in the bloodstream is called hyperglycemia. Over time, too much glucose has serious health complications; including heart disease, vision loss, kidney disease, and overall damage to cells. 

There are three main types of diabetes; Type 1, Type 2, and Gestational Diabetes.

• Type 1, or juvenile diabetes, is when the body does not produce insulin. This type of diabetes often requires that the patient receive insulin injections before eating a meal. The injected insulin helps to regulate the blood sugar converted from ingested carbohydrates.

• Type 2 Diabetes is the most common form of diabetes with 37.3 million Americans having Diabetes in 2022. About 1 in 10 people will have Type 2 Diabetes at some point in their adult lives.

• The third type of diabetes is gestational diabetes, which occurs in pregnant women. Fortunately, gestational diabetes usually resolves once the woman is no longer pregnant.