What is Diabetes?

Diabetes is a disorder of metabolism – the way our body processes and uses certain foods, especially carbohydrates.

The human body normally converts carbohydrates to glucose, the simple sugar that is the main source of energy for the body’s cells. To enter cells glucose needs the help of insulin, a hormone produced by the pancreas. The pancreas is supposed to automatically produce the right amount of insulin to allow glucose to enter body cells from the blood and be converted into energy. However, when the pancreas produces either little or no insulin or the body does not respond to the insulin produced, the body cannot process glucose. As a result, it builds up in the blood stream, overflows into the urine, and passes out of the body, effectively depriving the body of its main source of fuel.