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Diabetes, known colloquially as “sugar” in certain regions, is a condition in which the body is unable to regulate blood glucose (also referred to as blood sugar) levels properly. Typically, the body regulates blood glucose by way of a hormone called insulin. Insulin plays a major part in the body’s ability to utilize sugars, starches, and other carbohydrates as energy.

There are four types of diabetes, two of which are closely related. Type 1 diabetes occurs when a person’s body does not produce insulin at all. Type 2 diabetes is diagnosed when a person is ‘insulin resistant’—his or her body does produce insulin, but it is being released improperly or in amounts which don’t affect blood glucose levels ideally. Pre-diabetes is related to Type 2 diabetes; it indicates that while insulin production or release is impaired, this impairment doesn’t reach the critical level of Type 2 diabetes. The fourth type of diabetes is gestational diabetes, which occurs in pregnant women only. The two tests doctors use to diagnose the disease are the Oral Glucose Tolerance Test and the Fasting Plasma Glucose Test.

The direct causes of diabetes are unknown. There appear to be a number of factors indicated in developing diabetes, including genetic history, diet, and exercise habits. Environmental factors may also play a role.