The term diabetes is one that is used to describe a wide range of conditions revolving around the body’s ability to appropriately manage blood glucose levels. Some involve a decrease in the body’s ability to produce insulin, which decreases blood glucose levels, while others involve a body’s inability to respond appropriately to insulin when it is released. They may be autoimmune, a result of a genetic predisposition, or secondary to diet and lifestyle but though they are all quite different, the many potential complications of diabetes are all related to one thing: poorly controlled blood glucose levels. Diabetes continues to become an ever-evolving problem, as it is predicted that 1 in 4 people born today in the U.S.A. will develop diabetes in their lifetime. It may be shocking but more importantly, it should be an indication of the role we must play in protecting future generations from this disease.
