About diabetes - What is Diabetes?

Diabetes is a condition where there is too much glucose (sugar) in the blood.

Glucose is the main source of energy for the body and comes from carbohydrate foods we eat. Carbohydrate foods include bread, pasta, rice, cereals, fruits, starchy vegetables and milk and yoghurt. The body, breaks carbohydrates down to glucose which then enters the blood stream. For glucose to enter the cells and be used for energy, a hormone called insulin must be available.

Diabetes occurs when the body does not make insulin or when the insulin that is made is not working properly. This leads to increased blood glucose levels and diabetes.

Types of diabetes are: type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes and gestational diabetes.

Pre-diabetes

Pre-diabetes is a condition when blood glucose levels are higher then normal but not yet high enough for a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes.

Two million Australians have pre-diabetes which if left untreated may develop into type 2 diabetes within 5 to 10 years. In addition to the risk of developing diabetes, people with pre-diabetes have an increased of having a heart attack or stroke. Click here to learn more about pre-diabetes and how to prevent or delay type 2 diabetes.

 

You can learn more about good diabetes management in living well with diabetes.

New to diabetes?

You probably have many questions. Some of which may be answered in our What is Diabetes Information Sheet.

The history of diabetes

The earliest mention of diabetes was around 1552 BCE. See how far we've come in understanding the disease: History of diabetes