Diabetes begins in the pancreas, an organ in your body like your heart. Special cells in the pancreas, beta cells, make a substance called insulin ("in-SUH-lin"). Insulin helps feed your cells. Your body is made up of millions of tiny cells. To keep you healthy, these cells need to be fed. The food the cells eat is called glucose ("GLOO-kose"), or sugar. LeWhen you eat an apple, for example, your body turns the apple into glucose and sends that glucose into your blood. The glucose travels through your blood to your cells. The cells can't eat the glucose all by themselves. They need help. Insulin helps the cells eat the sugar. People with diabetes have a problem with insulin, so the cells don't get the glucose they need.

There are several types of diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is what kids and young adults most often have. Older adults mostly have type 2 diabetes. But some adults have type 1 diabetes and more and more kids and teens are developing type 2 diabetes.

Type 1 Diabetes

In people with type 1 diabetes, the pancreas stops making insulin. No one is exactly sure why this happens. Doctors think the beta cells get attacked by other cells (called T-cells) that are programmed to protect your body. The T-cells are like a little army, marching through your body, finding invaders that cause illness, and fighting them. When you have the flu, the T-cells find the flu bug in your body, and attack it until you're healthy again. When the T-cells work right, they keep you healthy.

In people with type 1 diabetes, the T-cells get confused. They think the beta cells are germs that make you sick. So they try to protect you by attacking them. When that happens, the pancreas can no longer make insulin.

Type 2 Diabetes

In type 2 diabetes, the pancreas usually makes some insulin, but either there's not enough of it, or the cells can't use it very well. Without enough insulin, or without the ability to use the insulin, the cells can't eat or don't get enough to eat. So, you take medicine to help the cells eat, and you make the cells' job easier by planning nutritious meals and being physically active.

Click here for more information about type 2 diabetes.

Diabetes Educator Lou
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Cure
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