Table of Contents Introduction What Is Diabetes Mellitus? What Are the Types of Diabetes? Diagnosing Diabetes Forms of Prediabetes Scope and Impact of Diabetes Who Gets Diabetes? Information on Diabetes Treatment Information on Diabetes Research Keeping on Top of Your Condition

What Is Diabetes Mellitus?

After digestion, glucose passes into the bloodstream, where it is used by cells for growth and energy. For glucose to get into cells, insulin must be present. Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas, a large gland behind the stomach.

When we eat, the pancreas is supposed to automatically produce the right amount of insulin to move glucose from blood into our cells. In people with diabetes, however, the pancreas either produces little or no insulin, or the cells do not respond appropriately to the insulin that is produced. Glucose builds up in the blood, overflows into the urine, and passes out of the body. Thus, the body loses its main source of fuel even though the blood contains large amounts of glucose.