What Do You Really Know About...

People with diabetes generally 1 of 2 types: type 1 or type 2. You are at higher risk for type 2 diabetes if you are older, are obese, don’t get much physical activity, or have a family history of diabetes. You are also at risk if you have pre-diabetes, had gestational diabetes while pregnant, or are of a certain ethnic background. This type of diabetes was once seen just in adults, but today more children and teens are being diagnosed with it.

Diabetes can affect many parts of the body. It can lead to serious complications, such as eye problems, nerve damage, gum disease, heart disease, stroke, kidney damage, and lower-limb amputations. You can help prevent these complications by controlling your blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels.

Insulin helps your body use or store the blood sugar it gets from food. Blood sugar is also called blood glucose

Being overweight and inactive both increase the chances of developing type 2 diabetes. But by making changes in your lifestyle such as losing weight and being more physically active, you may prevent it. In 2001, the National Institutes of Health completed the Diabetes Prevention Program, which found that these lifestyle changes reduced the risk for diabetes.

The American Diabetes Association says that diabetes is more likely in people who are 20 or older and are non-Hispanic blacks, Hispanics, or Asian Americans. Non-Hispanic blacks are almost 2 times more likely to have diabetes than non-Hispanic whites of a similar age.

Hormones released from the placenta during pregnancy can cause insulin resistance. Gestational diabetes can also develop if the pancreas can't make enough insulin. Gestational diabetes puts a woman at higher risk for type 2 diabetes.

An infant of a mother who developed diabetes during pregnancy may develop serious health problems. These include low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), jaundice, respiratory distress syndrome, and low calcium and magnesium levels. But gestational diabetes usually doesn’t cause birth defects. Birth defects can happen if a woman had diabetes before pregnancy and did not have it under good control early in the pregnancy.

Exercise makes your cells more sensitive to insulin. Your muscles use more blood sugar during exercise. This lower your blood sugar levels, which reduces your body’s need for insulin.