|
|
 |
Diabetes is a disease in which blood glucose levels are
above normal. Most of the food we eat is turned into
glucose, or sugar, for our bodies to use for energy. The
pancreas, an organ that lies near the stomach, makes a
hormone called insulin to help glucose get into the cells of
our bodies. When you have diabetes, your body either doesn't
make enough insulin or can't use its own insulin as well as
it should. This causes sugar to build up in your blood.
Diabetes can cause serious health complications including
heart disease, blindness, kidney failure, and
lower-extremity amputations. Diabetes is the sixth leading
cause of death in the United States. |
|
