The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates about 30.3 million people (9.4% of the US population) have diabetes. Among the people with diabetes, 7.2 million don’t even know they have it. About 1.4 million new cases of diabetes are diagnosed every year.
Diabetes is a chronic disease that affects how your body turns food into energy. Most of the food you eat is broken down into sugar and released into your bloodstream. Your pancreas makes insulin, which acts like a key to let the blood sugar (or blood glucose) into you body’s cells to be used as energy.
When you have diabetes, insulins does not work as it should and too much blood sugar is in your bloodstream, instead of being used as energy in the body’s cells. Over time, high blood glucose can lead to serious problems with your heart, eyes, kidneys, nerves, and gums and teeth. Early detection and treatment of diabetes can decrease the risk of developing the complications of diabetes.