Diabetes affects the body's metabolism. Everything we eat needs to be broken down into a simple sugar called glucose. Glucose is the basic fuel for the cells in the body, and insulin takes this sugar from the blood into the cells. The insulin is produced in the pancreas by beta cells. People with diabetes have faulty pancreases that produce little or no insulin, or if insulin is produced the body does not accept it. If the glucose in the blood stream cannot find a way into the cells of the body in can cause damage in the form of heart, kidney, eye and nerve disease.

Type 1 diabetes was once known as juvenile diabetes because it was usually diagnosed in children and young adults. In type 1 diabetes, the body does not produce insulin. Its symptoms can include hunger, weight loss, over tiredness, increased urination and blurred vision.

Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes. It occurs in about 90 to 95 percent of diabetics. In type 2 diabetes, either the body does not produce enough insulin or the cells do not respond to the insulin. This again causes an unhealthy increase of glucose in the blood. This type of diabetes is most seen among adults over 50. The symptoms develop slower than in type 1. They are similar to type 1; over tiredness, excessive hunger, weight loss, increased thirst and urination, blurred vision as well as frequent infections.

A third type of the disease is called gestational diabetes. This type of diabetes happens during pregnancy and usually clears up when the pregnancy is over. However, women who have had gestational diabetes are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes later.