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You Are Here » Miscellaneous » Diabetes » What is Diabetes?
Diabetes
Contents of this Article
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- Pre-Diabetes
- Scope and Impact of Diabetes
- Who Gets Diabetes?
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- Diabetes Management
- Hope Through Research
- What Will the Future Bring?
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What is Diabetes?
Diabetes is a disorder of metabolism - the way our bodies use digested food for growth and energy. Most of the food we eat is broken down into glucose, the form of sugar in the blood. Glucose is the main source of fuel for the body.
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 automatically produces 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 in the urine. Thus, the body loses its main source of fuel even though the blood contains large amounts of glucose.
Almost everyone knows someone who has diabetes. An estimated 20.8 million people in the United States (7 percent of the population) have diabetes, a serious, lifelong condition. Of those, 14.6 million have been diagnosed, and 6.2 million have not yet been diagnosed. In 2005, about 1.5 million people aged 20 or older were diagnosed with diabetes. For additional statistics, see the National Diabetes Statistics fact sheet online at www.diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/dm/pubs/statistics/ or call the National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse at to request a copy.
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References:
NIH Publication No. 06-3873
September 2006
diabetes.niddk.nih.gov
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