An estimated 30 million Americans have diabetes, a disease in which there is too much sugar in the bloodstream. About 7 million of them, however, have not yet been diagnosed with the disease.

Endocrine Connection

Diabetes occurs when the pancreas, a gland behind the stomach, does not produce enough of the hormone insulin, or the body cannot use insulin properly. Insulin helps carry sugar from the bloodstream into the cells. Once inside the cells, sugar is converted into energy for immediate use or stored for the future. That energy fuels many of our bodily functions.

The body produces glucose from the foods you eat. The liver also releases sugar when you are not eating. The pancreas produces the hormone insulin, which allows glucose from the bloodstream to enter the body’s cells where it is used for energy. In type 2 diabetes, too little insulin is produced, or the body cannot use insulin properly, or both. This results in a build-up of glucose in the blood.

People with diabetes are at risk of developing serious health problems (complications). If your blood glucose level stays too high for too long, complications can include:

• Blindness
• Kidney disease and failure
• Nerve damage which can result in nerve pain or injury to the feet or other extremities without feeling pain
• Heart attacks (with or without symptoms)
• Stroke