Diabetes
[dahy-uh-bee-teez]

Diabetes is a chronic (long-lasting) disease that affects how your body turns food into energy. Prediabetes is a serious health condition where blood sugar levels are higher than normal, but not high enough yet to be diagnosed as type 2 diabetes. There are three main types of diabetes: type 1, type 2, and gestational diabetes (diabetes while pregnant).
Type 1 diabetes is thought to be caused by an autoimmune reaction (the body attacks itself by mistake) that stops your body from making insulin. Insulin is a hormone that acts like a key to let blood sugar into your body’s cells for use as energy.
With type 2 diabetes, your body doesn’t use insulin well and is unable to keep blood sugar at normal levels. When there isn’t enough insulin or when cells stop responding to insulin, too much blood sugar stays in your bloodstream, which over time can cause serious health problems, such as heart disease, vision loss, and kidney disease.
Gestational Diabetes is a type of diabetes that can develop during pregnancy in people who don’t already have diabetes. Gestational diabetes occurs when your body can’t make enough insulin during pregnancy. People who start pregnancy with an increased need for insulin are more likely to have gestational diabetes.
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Key Facts
- 37.3 million Americans are living with diabetes, and 96 million US adults have prediabetes.
- Diabetes is the leading cause of blindness among working-age American adults.
- Diabetes is the leading cause of non-traumatic amputation.
- The risk for stroke is twice as high among people with diabetes.
- About 1 in 3 adults with diabetes has chronic kidney disease, which can lead to kidney failure.
- Good diabetes care (including self-care) and diabetes self-management education and support are key to living well with diabetes.
If you have diabetes, learn more about diabetes management with the Diabetes Kickstart campaign.
People with prediabetes are at higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes, but they can take action to help prevent or delay it.
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Prevention Tips
National Diabetes Prevention Program
Prediabetes is a wake-up call that type 2 diabetes could be in your future, but it can be reversed. The CDC-led National Diabetes Prevention Program (National DPP) lifestyle change program has been proven to help people make the changes needed to prevent or delay type 2 diabetes. Through the program, participants:
- Work with a trained coach to make lasting lifestyle changes.
- Discover how to eat healthy and add more physical activity into their day.
- Find out how to manage stress, stay motivated, and solve problems that can slow progress.
Learn more with the Imagine You Preventing Type 2 campaign.