Diabetes is a chronic disease that affects how your body turns food into energy. There are two main types of diabetes: type 1 and type 2. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease that causes your body to attack and destroy the cells that produce insulin. Insulin is a hormone that helps your body's cells use glucose for energy. Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes and occurs when your body becomes resistant to insulin or doesn't make enough insulin to maintain normal glucose levels.

1. Everything You Need to Know About
Diabetes
Medically reviewed by Kelly Wood, MD — By Stephanie Watson — Updated on
January 30, 2023
insulin or can’t effectively use the insulin it makes.
The hormone insulin moves sugar from the blood into your cells to be
stored or used for energy. If this malfunctions, you may have diabetes.
Untreated high blood sugar from diabetes can damage your nerves, eyes,
kidneys, and other organs. But educating yourself about diabetes and
taking steps to prevent or manage it can help you protect your health.
There are a few different types of diabetes:
Types Prediabetes Symptoms Causes Risk factors
Complications Treatment Diet Exercise Diagnosis Prevention
In pregnancy In children Takeaway Comments
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Types of diabetes
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Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disease that causes high
blood sugar. Your body either doesn’t make enough

2. Type 1: Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease. The immune
system attacks and destroys cells in the pancreas, where insulin is
made. It’s unclear what causes this attack.
Type 2: Type 2 diabetes occurs when your body becomes resistant
to insulin, and sugar builds up in your blood. It’s the most common
type—about 90% to 95% of people living with diabetes have type 2.
Type 1.5: Type 1.5 diabetes is also known as latent autoimmune
diabetes in adults (LADA). It occurs during adulthood and sets in
gradually like type 2 diabetes. LADA is an autoimmune disease that
cannot be treated by diet or lifestyle.
Gestational: Gestational diabetes is high blood sugar during
pregnancy. Insulin-blocking hormones produced by the placenta
cause this type of diabetes.
A rare condition called diabetes insipidus is not related to diabetes
mellitus, although it has a similar name. It’s a different condition in which
your kidneys remove too much fluid from your body.
Each type of diabetes has unique symptoms, causes, and treatments.
Learn more about how these types differ from one another.
Prediabetes is the term that’s used when your blood sugar is higher than
expected, but it’s not high enough for a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes. It
occurs when the cells in your body don’t respond to insulin the way they
should. This can lead to type 2 diabetes down the road.
Experts suggest that more than 1 in 3 Americans have prediabetes, but
over 80% of people with prediabetes don’t even know it.
Prediabetes
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3. Diabetes symptoms are caused by rising blood sugar.
General symptoms
The symptoms of type 1, type 2, and type 1.5 (LADA) are the same, but
they occur in a shorter period than types 2 and 1.5. In type 2, the onset
tends to be slower. Tingling nerves and slow-healing sores are more
common in type 2.
Left untreated, type 1, in particular, can lead to diabetic ketoacidosis. This
is when there is a dangerous level of ketones in the body. It’s less
common in other types of diabetes, but still possible.
The general symptoms of diabetes include:
increased hunger
increased thirst
weight loss
frequent urination
blurry vision
extreme fatigue
sores that don’t heal
Symptoms in men
In addition to the general symptoms of diabetes, men with diabetes may
have:
a decreased sex drive
erectile dysfunction
poor muscle strength
Symptoms of diabetes

4. Symptoms in women
Women with diabetes can have symptoms such as:
vaginal dryness
urinary tract infections
yeast infections
dry, itchy skin
Gestational diabetes
Most people who develop gestational diabetes don’t have any symptoms.
Healthcare professionals often detect the condition during a routine
blood sugar test or oral glucose tolerance test, which is usually performed
between the 24th and 28th weeks of pregnancy.
In rare cases, a person with gestational diabetes will also experience
increased thirst or urination.
The bottom line
Diabetes symptoms can be so mild that they’re hard to spot at first. Learn
which signs should prompt a trip to the doctor.
Different causes are associated with each type of diabetes.
Type 1 diabetes
Doctors don’t know exactly what causes type 1 diabetes. For some
reason, the immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys insulin-
producing beta cells in the pancreas.
Genes may play a role in some people. It’s also possible that a virus sets
off an immune system attack.
Type 2 diabetes
Causes of diabetes

5. Type 2 diabetes stems from a combination of genetics and lifestyle
factors. Having overweight or obesity increases your risk, too. Carrying
extra weight, especially in your belly, makes your cells more resistant to
the effects of insulin on your blood sugar.
This condition runs in families. Family members share genes that make
them more likely to get type 2 diabetes and to be overweight.
Type 1.5 diabetes
Type 1.5 is an autoimmune condition that occurs when the pancreas is
attacked by your own antibodies. as in type 1. It may be genetic, but more
research is needed.
Gestational diabetes
Gestational diabetes occurs as the result of hormonal changes during
pregnancy. The placenta produces hormones that make a pregnant
person’s cells less sensitive to the effects of insulin. This can cause high
blood sugar during pregnancy.
People who are overweight when they get pregnant or who gain too
much weight during pregnancy are more likely to get gestational
diabetes.
The bottom line
Both genes and environmental factors play a role in triggering diabetes.
Get more information on the causes of diabetes.
Certain factors increase your risk for diabetes.
Type 1 diabetes
You’re more likely to get type 1 diabetes if you’re a child or teenager, you
have a parent or sibling with the condition, or you carry certain genes that
are linked to the disease.
Diabetes risk factors

6. Type 2 diabetes
Your risk for type 2 diabetes increases if you:
are overweight
are age 45 or older
have a parent or sibling with the condition
aren’t physically active
have had gestational diabetes
have prediabetes
have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or high triglycerides
Type 2 diabetes also disproportionately affects certain racial and ethnic
populations.
Adults who have African American, Hispanic or Latino American, or Asian
American ancestry are more likely to be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes
than white adults, according to 2016 research. They’re also more likely to
experience decreased quality of care and increased barriers to self-
management.
Type 1.5 diabetes
Type 1.5 diabetes is found in adults over 30 and is often mistaken for type
2, but people with this condition are not necessarily overweight, and oral
medications and lifestyle changes have no effect.
Gestational diabetes
Your risk for gestational diabetes increases if you:
are overweight
are over age 25
had gestational diabetes during a past pregnancy
have given birth to a baby weighing more than 9 pounds
have a family history of type 2 diabetes

7. have polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
The bottom line
Your family history, environment, and preexisting medical conditions can
all affect your odds of developing diabetes.
Find out which risks you can control and which ones you can’t.
High blood sugar damages organs and tissues throughout your body. The
higher your blood sugar is and the longer you live with it, the greater your
risk for complications.
Complications associated with diabetes include:
heart disease, heart attack, and stroke
neuropathy
nephropathy
retinopathy and vision loss
hearing loss
foot damage, such as infections and sores that don’t heal
skin conditions, such as bacterial and fungal infections
depression
dementia
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Diabetes complications

8. Gestational diabetes
Unmanaged gestational diabetes can lead to problems that affect both
the mother and baby. Complications affecting the baby can include:
premature birth
higher-than-typical weight at birth
increased risk for type 2 diabetes later in life
low blood sugar
jaundice
stillbirth
A pregnant person with gestational diabetes can develop complications
such as high blood pressure (preeclampsia) or type 2 diabetes. You may
also require cesarean delivery, commonly referred to as a C-section.
The risk of gestational diabetes in future pregnancies also increases.
The bottom line
Diabetes can lead to serious medical complications, but you can manage
the condition with medications and lifestyle changes.
Avoid the most common diabetes complications with these helpful tips.
Doctors treat diabetes with a few different medications. Some are taken
by mouth, while others are available as injections.
Type 1 and 1.5 diabetes
Insulin is the main treatment for type 1 and 1.5 diabetes. It replaces the
hormone your body isn’t able to produce.
Various types of insulin are commonly used by people with type 1 and 1.5
diabetes. They differ in how quickly they start to work and how long their
effects last:
Treatment of diabetes

9. Rapid-acting insulin: starts to work within 15 minutes and its effects
last for 2 to 4 hours
Short-acting insulin: starts to work within 30 minutes and lasts 3 to
6 hours
Intermediate-acting insulin: starts to work within 2 to 4 hours and
lasts 12 to 18 hours
Long-acting insulin: starts to work 2 hours after injection and lasts
up to 24 hours
Ultra-long acting insulin: starts to work 6 hours after injection and
lasts 36 hours or more
Premixed insulin: starts working within 15 to 30 minutes (depending
on whether a rapid-acting or short-acting insulin is part of the mix)
and lasts 10 to 16 hours
Type 2 diabetes
Diet and exercise can help some people manage type 2 diabetes. If
lifestyle changes aren’t enough to lower your blood sugar, you’ll need to
take medication.
These drugs lower your blood sugar in a variety of ways:
Drug How it works Examples
alpha-glucosidase
inhibitors
slow your body’s
breakdown of sugars
and starchy foods
acarbose (Precose) and
miglitol
biguanides
reduce the amount of
glucose your liver
makes
metformin (Glucophage,
Riomet)
DPP-4 inhibitors
improve your blood
sugar without making
it drop too low
alogliptin (Nesina),
linagliptin (Tradjenta),
saxagliptin (Onglyza), and
sitagliptin (Januvia)
glucagon-like
peptides
stimulate your
pancreas to produce
more insulin; slow
stomach emptying
semaglutide (Ozempic),
dulaglutide (Trulicity),
exenatide (Byetta), and
liraglutide (Victoza)
meglitinides
stimulate your
pancreas to release nateglinide and repaglinide

10. You may need to take more than one of these medications. Some people
with type 2 diabetes also take insulin.
Gestational diabetes
If you receive a diagnosis of gestational diabetes, you’ll need to monitor
your blood sugar level several times per day during pregnancy. If it’s high,
dietary changes and exercise may be enough to bring it down.
Research has found that about 15% to 30% of women who develop
gestational diabetes will need insulin to lower their blood sugar. Insulin is
safe for the developing baby.
The bottom line
The treatment regimen your doctor recommends will depend on the type
of diabetes you have and its cause.
Check out this list of the various medications that are available to treat
diabetes.
more insulin
SGLT2 inhibitors
release more glucose
into the urine
canagliflozin (Invokana),
dapagliflozin (Farxiga), and
empagliflozin (Jardiance)
sulfonylureas
stimulate your
pancreas to release
more insulin
glyburide (Glynase),
glipizide (Glucotrol), and
glimepiride (Amaryl)
thiazolidinediones
help insulin work
better
pioglitazone (Actos) and
rosiglitazone
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11. Healthy eating is a central part of managing diabetes. In some cases,
changing your diet may be enough to manage the disease.
Types 1 and 1.5 diabetes
Your blood sugar level rises or falls based on the types of foods you eat.
Starchy or sugary foods make blood sugar levels rise rapidly. Protein and
fat cause more gradual increases.
Your medical team may recommend that you limit the amount of
carbohydrates you eat each day. You’ll also need to balance your carb
intake with your insulin doses. Counting carbs helps to balance the carb
intake with the insulin doses.
Check out this guide to starting a type 1 diabetes diet.
Type 2 diabetes
Eating the right types of foods can both manage your blood sugar and
help you lose any excess weight.
Carb counting is an important part of eating for type 2 diabetes. A
dietitian can help you figure out how many grams of carbohydrates to eat
at each meal.
In order to keep your blood sugar levels steady, try to eat small meals
throughout the day. Emphasize healthy foods such as:
fruits
vegetables
whole grains
lean protein such as poultry and fish
healthy fats such as olive oil and nuts
Certain other foods can hurt efforts to manage your blood sugar.
Diabetes and diet

12. Discover the foods you should avoid if you have diabetes.
Gestational diabetes
Eating a well-balanced diet is important for both you and your baby during
these 9 months. Making the right food choices can also help you avoid
diabetes medications.
Watch your portion sizes, and limit sugary or salty foods. Although you
need some sugar to feed your growing baby, you should avoid eating too
much. Check out other do’s and don’ts for healthy eating with gestational
diabetes.
The bottom line
Work with a registered dietitian if you have access to one. They can help
you design an individualized diabetes meal plan. Getting the right balance
of protein, fat, and carbs can help you manage your blood sugar.
Along with diet and treatment, exercise plays an essential role in diabetes
management. This is true for all types of diabetes.
Staying active helps your cells react to insulin more effectively and lower
your blood sugar levels. Exercising regularly can also help you:
reach and maintain a healthy weight
reduce your risk of diabetes-related health complications
boost mood
get better sleep
improve memory
If you have type 1 or type 2 diabetes, general guidance is to aim for at
least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise each week. There are
currently no separate exercise guidelines for people who have
gestational diabetes. But if you’re pregnant, start out slowly and gradually
increase your activity level over time to avoid overdoing it.
Diabetes and exercise

13. Diabetes-friendly exercises include:
walking
swimming
dancing
cycling
Talk with your doctor about safe ways to incorporate activity into your
diabetes management plan. You may need to follow special precautions,
like checking your blood sugar before and after working out and making
sure to stay hydrated.
Consider working with a personal trainer or exercise physiologist who has
experience working with people who have diabetes. They can help you
develop a personalized workout plan tailored to your needs.
Anyone who has symptoms of diabetes or is at risk for the condition
should be tested. People are routinely tested for gestational diabetes
during their second trimester or third trimester of pregnancy.
Doctors use these blood tests to diagnose prediabetes and diabetes:
The fasting plasma glucose (FPG) test measures your blood sugar
after you’ve fasted for 8 hours.
The A1C test provides a snapshot of your blood sugar levels over
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Diabetes diagnosis

14. the previous 3 months.
A 75-gram oral glucose tolerance test is also used. This checks the
BG 2 hours after ingesting a sugary drink containing 75 grams of
carbs.
How to diagnose gestational diabetes
To diagnose gestational diabetes, your doctor will test your blood sugar
levels between the 24th week and 28th week of pregnancy. There are
two types of tests:
Glucose challenge test: During a glucose challenge test, your blood
sugar is checked an hour after you drink a sugary liquid. If your
results are standard, no more testing is done. If blood sugar levels
are high, you’ll need to undergo a glucose tolerance test.
Glucose tolerance test: During a glucose tolerance test, your blood
sugar is checked after you fast overnight. Then you’re given a
sugary drink and your blood sugar is re-tested after 1 hour and again
after 2 hours. Gestational diabetes is diagnosed if any of these three
readings come back noting high blood sugar.
The earlier you are diagnosed with diabetes, the sooner you can start
treatment. Find out whether you should get tested, and get more
information on tests your doctor might perform.
If you don’t already have a primary care specialist, you can browse
doctors in your area through the Healthline FindCare tool.
Type 1 and type 1.5 diabetes are not preventable because they are
caused by an issue with the immune system. Some causes of type 2
diabetes, such as your genes or age, aren’t under your control either.
Yet many other diabetes risk factors are manageable. Most diabetes
prevention strategies involve making simple adjustments to your diet and
fitness routine.
If you’ve received a diagnosis of prediabetes, here are a few things you
Diabetes prevention

15. can do to delay or prevent type 2 diabetes:
Get at least 150 minutes per week of aerobic exercises like walking
or cycling.
Cut saturated and trans fats, along with refined carbohydrates, out of
your diet.
Eat more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
Eat smaller portions.
Try to lose 5% to 7% of your body weight if you have overweight or
obesity.
These aren’t the only ways to prevent diabetes. Discover more strategies
that may help you avoid this chronic health condition.
People who’ve never had diabetes can suddenly develop gestational
diabetes during pregnancy. Hormones produced by the placenta can
make your body more resistant to the effects of insulin.
Pre-gestational diabetes
People can have diabetes before they conceive and carry it with them
into pregnancy. This is called pre-gestational diabetes.
Risks to your newborn
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Diabetes in pregnancy

16. Diabetes during pregnancy can lead to complications for your newborn,
such as jaundice or breathing problems.
If you’re diagnosed with pre-gestational or gestational diabetes, you’ll
need special monitoring to prevent complications.
Does gestational diabetes disappear on its own?
Gestational diabetes should go away after you deliver, but it does
significantly increase your risk of getting diabetes later. About half of
people with gestational diabetes will go on to develop type 2 diabetes.
Children can get both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Managing blood sugar
is especially important in young people because diabetes can damage
important organs such as the heart and kidneys.
Type 1 diabetes
The autoimmune form of diabetes often starts in childhood. One of the
main symptoms is increased urination. Kids with type 1 diabetes may start
wetting the bed after they’ve been toilet trained.
Extreme thirst, fatigue, and hunger are also signs of the condition. It’s
important that children with type 1 diabetes get treatment right away. The
condition can cause high blood sugar, dehydration, and diabetic
ketoacidosis (DKA), which can be medical emergencies.
Type 2 diabetes
Type 1 diabetes used to be called juvenile diabetes because type 2 was
so rare in children. Now that more children have overweight or obesity,
type 2 diabetes is becoming more common in this age group.
Some children living with type 2 diabetes don’t experience symptoms.
Others may experience:
increased thirst
frequent urination
Diabetes in children

17. extreme fatigue
blurry vision
Type 2 diabetes is often diagnosed based on medical history, a physical
exam, and bloodwork.
Untreated type 2 diabetes can cause lifelong complications, including
heart disease, kidney disease, and blindness. Healthy eating and exercise
can help your child manage their blood sugar and prevent these
problems.
Type 2 diabetes is more prevalent than ever in young people. Learn how
to spot the signs so you can report them to your child’s doctor.
Some types of diabetes — like types 1 and 1.5 — are caused by factors
that are out of your control. Others — like type 2 — can be prevented by
making better food choices, increasing activity, and losing weight.
Discuss potential diabetes risks with your doctor. If you’re at risk, have
your blood sugar tested and follow your doctor’s advice for managing
your blood sugar.
Last medically reviewed on December 12, 2022
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