The types of diabetes, how it's tested for, managed and treated, the diets and medicines that help, and the complications to prevent, in pregnancy too.
94 HealthJournals
Not everybody gets diabetes because of eating an unhealthy diet and skipping the gym. For some, it may come down to a virus messing with their immune function. Read more about the diverse causes of diabetes.
Far too many of us are in a prediabetic state, putting ourselves at risk of joining the diabetes club. As many as 9 in 10 cases of diabetes may be preventable — learn how take action to reverse prediabetes and prevent diabetes.
Before you can head merrily into your third trimester – the home stretch – you must take the gestational diabetes test. You hope you pass, but what if you fail? Read on to find out what it means and how it affects your baby.
Diabetes mellitus takes several forms. Type 1, in which the body makes little or no insulin, and type 2, in which it can't use insulin well, are the most common, alongside prediabetes, gestational diabetes and rare monogenic forms. Metabolic syndrome and diabetes insipidus, a different condition, are included too.
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease in which the body stops making insulin, often starting in childhood or the teen years. It is managed with daily insulin, glucose meters, continuous glucose monitors and the artificial pancreas. Other topics include the A1C test, islet cell and pancreas transplants and pregnancy.
Type 1 Diabetes in Children 
Type 1 Diabetes and Pregnancy 
Type 1 Diabetes 
Diabetes in Children and Teens 
Islet Cell Transplantation 
Insulin 
Artificial Pancreas 
Pancreas Transplantation 
A1C and Diabetes 
A1C Test and Race/Ethnicity 
Diabetes Tests and Diagnosis 
Diabetes Complications 
Continuous Glucose Monitoring 
Blood Glucose Self-Monitoring Type 2 diabetes can often be prevented or delayed, especially in people with prediabetes, through healthy eating, regular physical activity and losing excess weight. The same whole-health habits help prevent other chronic diseases, and a diabetic diet puts them into practice at the table.
Diabetes in pregnancy takes two forms: gestational diabetes, which develops during pregnancy and usually goes away after birth, and type 1 or type 2 diabetes that a woman already has. High blood glucose can affect both mother and baby, alongside other health problems in pregnancy.
Diabetes tests diagnose diabetes and prediabetes and track how well blood glucose is controlled. The A1C test shows average blood glucose over about three months, while other blood glucose tests give a single reading. Day to day, people check their levels with a glucose meter, a continuous glucose monitor or other at-home tests.
Diabetes management means keeping blood glucose in a healthy range day to day. It rests on healthy eating, physical activity and weight control, guided by tools such as the glycemic index, and on adjusting to life with diabetes. Treatment can add insulin pumps, an artificial pancreas or weight loss surgery.
Managing Diabetes 
Diabetes Diet, Eating, & Physical Activity 
Adjusting to Life with Diabetes Artificial Pancreas 
Glycemic Index & Glycemic Load 
Infusion Pumps 
Healthy Eating for a Healthy Weight 
Whole Health 
Tips for Successful Weight Loss 
Weight Loss Surgery 
Wellness and Habits 
Wellness and Exercise Diabetes medicines lower blood glucose in different ways, from insulin, which people with type 1 diabetes need, to medicines for type 2 diabetes such as GLP-1s, which also help with weight loss. Weight management medicines and dietary supplements taken for diabetes or weight loss are included too.
A diabetic diet balances carbohydrates, fats and proteins to keep blood glucose steady, and many eating patterns fit it. They range from the Mediterranean, vegetarian, vegan and ketogenic diets to intermittent fasting and calorie restriction, also used for weight loss, along with eating for kidney disease and dialysis.
Refined sugar and other carbohydrates break down into glucose, which fuels the body. How quickly a food raises blood glucose is measured by its glycemic index and glycemic load, and fiber slows it. Added sugars and sugary drinks raise it fastest, while high-intensity sweeteners add sweetness without sugar.
Diabetes complications develop when high blood glucose damages blood vessels and nerves over time. They range from diabetic eye disease, kidney disease and neuropathy to heart disease and stroke, foot problems, gum disease and hearing loss. Short-term dangers include low and high blood glucose and diabetic ketoacidosis.
Diabetes Complications 
Diabetes and Skin Health 
Diabetes and Brain Health 
Diabetes and Foot Problems 
Diabetes and Dental Health 
Diabetes and Hearing Loss 
Diabetes and Mental Health 
Diabetic Eye Disease 
Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy 
Diabetes, Heart Disease, and Stroke 
Diabetic Neuropathy 
Diabetic Mastopathy 
Diabetic Kidney Disease 
Diabetic Heart Disease 
Wolfram Syndrome 
Diabetic Proximal Neuropathy 
Nocturia 
Diabetic Retinopathy 
Diabetic Ketoacidosis Islet Cell Transplantation 
Wellness and the Consequences of Weight Gain 
Anemia in Chronic Kidney Disease 
Insulin Resistance 
Acanthosis Nigricans 
Thin Outside, Fat Inside 
Diabetes, Sexual and Urologic Problems 
Hypoglycemia 
Hyperglycemia 
Diabetic Autonomic Neuropathy 
Overweight and Obesity Diabetes affects women, men, children and teens in different ways, from type 1 diabetes in childhood to type 2 diabetes, which is more common among African Americans. Race and ethnicity can also affect A1C test results, which are used to diagnose diabetes and track blood glucose.
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