Diabetes is a chronic, livelong condition in which the body produces too little or ineffective insulin. Insulin is a hormone released to change sugar in food into energy that is essential to the body.
When food is digested, it breaks down into a sugar called glucose, which is absorbed into the blood. In a normal person, insulin helps the blood glucose to enter the body cells, to be used for energy.
In a diabetic person with too little or ineffective insulin, the glucose cannot enter the body cells. It builds up in the blood, giving rise to a high blood glucose level which is the main sign of untreated or uncontrolled diabetes.
More about diabetes:
Medical Nutrition Therapy for Diabetes Mellitus
Treatment and programme
