Sixth-leading cause of death
A chronic disease, diabetes means your body doesn't make enough, or properly use, insulin. The healthy range for fasting blood glucose is between 70 and 99. Type 2 diabetes may be diagnosed if a fasting blood glucose level is 126 or higher. Pre-diabetes may be diagnosed if your fasting blood glucose level is between 100 and 125. With adequate education and changes to your diet when you are pre-diabetic, you may be able to prevent the onset of diabetes.
Diabetes affects more than 30 million people in the U.S., and more than one in three people don't even know they have it. Diabetes is the sixth-leading cause of death by disease in this country, and it can double your chance of developing heart disease or suffering a stroke.
There's no cure for diabetes, but research has shown that proper care — including eating the right foods, getting enough exercise and using the most effective medication — can help prevent long-term complications.