We often hear about diabetes as if it is one disease, but diabetes mellitus is a group of metabolic disorders in which blood glucose remains abnormally high because of problems with insulin production, insulin action, or both.
The main types
Type 1 diabetes: The immune system destroys the pancreatic β-cells that produce insulin. People with type 1 diabetes require insulin for survival.
Type 2 diabetes: The body becomes insulin resistant, and over time the pancreas may not produce enough insulin to compensate. It is the most common type and is influenced by genetics, lifestyle and other factors.
Gestational diabetes: Diabetes that develops during pregnancy. It often improves after delivery, but it increases the mother’s future risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
There are also less common forms, including monogenic diabetes and diabetes caused by conditions affecting the pancreas or certain medications.
Can diabetes be cured?
There is currently no general cure for type 1 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes can sometimes enter remission, particularly after substantial weight loss and lifestyle changes, but remission is not the same as a permanent cure.
Treatment depends on the type and may involve insulin, oral or injectable glucose-lowering medicines, nutrition management, physical activity and regular monitoring.
What can we do?
Regular physical activity, a balanced diet rich in fibre and minimally processed foods, maintaining a healthy body weight, adequate sleep and avoiding tobacco can all support better metabolic health.
A few facts I found interesting
Diabetes can affect the eyes, kidneys, nerves, heart and blood vessels when glucose remains poorly controlled.
You can have type 2 diabetes for years without obvious symptoms.
The pancreas can initially compensate for insulin resistance by producing more insulin.
Gestational diabetes isn’t simply a pregnancy problem it can be an important early warning of future metabolic risk.
HbA1c provides an estimate of average blood glucose over roughly the previous 2–3 months, rather than showing only today’s glucose level.
For me, the biggest takeaway is that diabetes isn’t simply about “eating too much sugar.” It involves insulin, β-cell biology, metabolism, genetics and whole-body physiology.
Understanding the mechanism is the first step toward understanding how to prevent and manage it.
MBH/PS