Finding out you have diabetes can be scary, but don't panic. People with diabetes can live long, healthy lives. Sure, let's go over some basics. This is Diabetes Made Simple.

 

 

 

When we eat, food travels to the stomach. Food is made of three basic nutrients:carbohydrates, proteins and fats. During digestion, carbohydrates are broken down into sugar, otherwise known as glucose. 

 

 

 

Here’s a quick fact: carbohydrates include foods such as bread, rice, pasta, potatoes, fruit, milk and yogurt. In a normal digestive process, sugar travels from the stomach, through the bloodstream, to your body's muscle and fat cells. However, sugar can't enter these cells without the help of a special hormone called insulin which is produced by the pancreas. 

 

 

 

Insulin acts like a key, unlocking the doors to the muscle and fat cells and allowing the sugar to enter. The cells then use the sugar as fuel to provide energy for the body. When this process is functioning properly, sugar entering the bloodstream from the stomach is able to access the bloodstream at the muscle and fat cells. In this manner, the body is able to regulate the concentration of the sugar in the bloodstream.

 

 

 

Now let's see what happens in a person with diabetes. Sugar enters the bloodstream, but one of two things happens. Either the pancreas does not produce sufficient quantity of insulin to match the sugar entering the bloodstream, or the body cells do not respond to the insulin that the body is producing. In both cases the result is the same. Cell doors remain closed, causing sugar to get backed up in the bloodstream. As a result, blood sugar levels rise. This creates several problems. Because sugar’s not able to enter your body's cells, your body is not getting the fuel it needs. As a result, you may feel tired or fatigued. Your body may try to dilute the excess sugar in the bloodstream by pulling fluid out of your cells. This can make you feelingdehydrated and thirsty. Most importantly, overtime exposure to high blood sugar levels can cause damage to vital organs connected to the bloodstream, such as your eyes, kidneys, nerves and heart. If not controlled properly, diabetes can lead to serious complications such as blindness, amputation, kidney failure, heart attack and stroke.