Diabetes
' Diabetes' is the abbreviated term for a condition known as 'diabetes mellitus'. There are two main forms of diabetes in the general population, type 1 and type 2. A third type, known as 'gestational diabetes' is associated with pregnancy. All forms of diabetes involve a reduced ability of the body to handle blood glucose (the type of sugar transported in the blood). In normal health, blood glucose is maintained at a fairly constant level by the action of insulin, a hormone produced in the pancreas. Insulin stimulates the uptake of glucose, amino acids and fat (in the form of triglycerides) from the blood into the tissues for use. Insulin also promotes the storage of blood glucose in the liver and muscles. Thus insulin prevents the glucose level becoming too high in the blood. If insulin production is too low, or the insulin does not have its usual effect, blood glucose can climb to dangerous levels (a condition known as 'hyper
