What is diabetes?

Diabetes means you have glucose (sugar) levels in your blood that are higher than usual. Your body depends on glucose for energy. When you eat, most of the food turns into glucose. Your blood carries the glucose to other parts of your body.

When you have diabetes, your body has trouble turning glucose into energy. Instead of being used by your body, the glucose builds up in your blood and your body is starved of energy.

Diabetes is a chronic (long-term) condition.

What is type 2 diabetes?

Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes. People who are overweight are more likely to get type 2 diabetes.

What other types of diabetes are there?

• Type 1 diabetes is caused by a problem with the immune system (the system that helps fight infection). Right now, there’s no way to prevent type 1 diabetes.
• Gestational (“jes-TAY-shon-al”) diabetes is a type of diabetes that some women develop during pregnancy. Gestational diabetes increases the risk of health problems for you and your baby. For example, gestational diabetes can make it more likely that you’ll develop type 2 diabetes after pregnancy.

Am I at risk for type 2 diabetes?

You may be at risk for type 2 diabetes if you:

• Are over age 40
• Are overweight or obese
• Have a parent or sibling with diabetes
• Are African American, Hispanic or Latino, Native American, Alaska Native, Asian American, or Pacific Islander
• Have had gestational diabetes or given birth to a baby who weighed more than 9 pounds
• Have polycystic ovary syndrome (when a woman’s ovaries produce more male hormones than usual)
• Have high blood pressure or cholesterol
• Exercise less than 3 times a week
• Have prediabetes

What is prediabetes?

If you have prediabetes, the glucose levels in your blood are higher than usual – but not high enough to mean you have type 2 diabetes. Prediabetes increases your risk of developing type 2 diabetes and other serious health problems, like heart disease and stroke.

The good news about prediabetes is that healthy changes, like losing weight and getting enough physical activity, can stop it from becoming type 2 diabetes.