Diabetes Mellitus is a disorder of the body's metabolism— the process by which food is transformed into energy. Most of our digested food is broken down into glucose, a sugar which is the body's main source of energy. The bloodstream carries glucose to the body's cells to be used as a source of energy. For glucose to enter cells, insulin must be present.
Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas. When food is digested, the pancreas automatically produces enough insulin to move glucose from the bloodstream into cells where it can be utilized. In persons with Diabetes Mellitus, the pancreas produces little or no insulin or the cells do not respond appropriately to the insulin that is produced.
Diabetes Mellitus resulting from the pancreas producing little or no insulin is known as Type I Diabetes. Diabetes resulting from resistance to insulin's effect and defective insulin production is known as Type 2 Diabetes.
The American Diabetes Association estimates 23.6 million people or 7.8% of the population in the United States has Diabetes Mellitus. Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus accounts for 90-95% of cases. Approximately 5.7 million Americans are not even aware they have diabetes. For additional and more complete information regarding Diabetes Mellitus, the following Web sites are recommended: