December is National Diabetes Month

When you talk about diabetes, you talk about blood sugar and insulin levels in our bodies.  Our food is broken down into small units called amino acids (proteins), fatty acids (fats) and simple sugars (carbohydrates).  In both type 1 insulin dependent diabetes, and type 2 non-insulin dependent diabetes, the sugar-insulin levels are what we look at. 

The sugars provide important energy to most cells in our bodies.  For example, without simple sugars, our brains don’t think well.  We would become confused and unable to focus.  We could go into a hypoglycemic shock (low blood sugar) which can be life threatening.  At the other end of the sugar/insulin balance, too much sugar causes damage to cells of the body. A really high level of blood sugar (called hyperglycemia) can also cause symptoms and be life threatening. We need a balance of sugar and insulin which provides the energy our cells need to function properly.  For more information about diabetes, check out the American Diabetes Association at http://www.diabetes.org/