Recently Diagnosed

Diabetes is a very common hormonal disease in which the body does not digest or process sugar properly. There are three basic types of Diabetes: Type 1 , Type 2 and Gestational Diabetes. The general difference between these types is that Type 1 Diabetics do not produce insulin , Type 2 Diabetics do not use insulin, even though they produce it, and Gestational Diabetics form Diabetes during the term of their pregnancy.

If you have recently been diagnosed with Diabetes, you are not alone; Diabetes affects over 20 million Americans and only about two-thirds of Diabetics even know that they have the disease! Once you’re diagnosed, you can be well on your way to adopting a healthier lifestyle that will allow you to live the same type of life before your diagnosis – only with more energy, less side effects and, often, with a skinner waist!

Understanding Diabetes may take some time. But rest assured that after the initial shock of your diagnosis, you will enjoy the way your body reacts to your Diabetic practices and lifestyle changes. First, you must understand what your disease entails and how you can treat it.

Let's start with an understanding of Carbohydrates (interactive) and the fudamental role it plays in the disease.

When a person consumes foods with sugar, the pancreas should release insulin , which helps to break down and store sugar molecules for later use as energy. Energy from sugar helps all muscles and organs in the body function, including the brain and heart.

The Pancreas within the Digestive System
However, when someone has Diabetes, his or her pancreas does not produce enough insulin to store sugar or convert sugar molecules into usable energy units. As such, the sugar stays in the blood stream, where it irritates the organs through which it passes, but keeps those organs from getting the energy that they need to function properly.

Click here for a more detailed explanation of how Diabetes affects the body. Alternatively, another interactive module teaches more about the fundamentals of Diabetes, click here.