What exactly is diabetes? Diabetes is a chronic disease in which your body does not produce, or properly use, insulin.

The two keys to understanding diabetes are "insulin" and "glucose."

Glucose is a form of sugar produced when the body digests carbohydrates (sugars and starches). Glucose is your body's major fuel.

Insulin is the hormone, produced in your pancreas, that helps the glucose carried throughout your body by your blood get into cells, where it is used for energy.

If your body doesn't make enough insulin, or if the insulin doesn't work the way it should, glucose can't get from the blood into your cells.

Your body doesn't get the energy it needs, and the glucose builds up in your blood instead. Your blood glucose (blood sugar) level then gets too high, and begins to damage your body and its systems.

That, in simplest terms, is diabetes.

Signs and symptoms of diabetes include:

• being very thirsty
• urinating often
• feeling very hungry or tired
• losing weight without trying
• having sores that heal slowly
• having dry, itchy skin
• losing the feeling in your feet or having tingling in your feet
• having blurry eyesight

You may have had one or more of these signs before you found out you had diabetes. Or you may have had no signs at all. A blood test to check your glucose levels will provide the answer.

People can get diabetes at any age. There are three main kinds.

Type 1 diabetes, formerly called juvenile diabetes or insulin-dependent diabetes, is usually first diagnosed in children, teenagers, or young adults. In this form of diabetes, the beta cells of the pancreas no longer make insulin because the body's immune system has attacked and destroyed them. Treatment for type 1 diabetes includes taking insulin shots or using an insulin pump, making wise food choices, exercising regularly, taking aspirin daily (for some), and controlling blood pressure and cholesterol.

Type 2 diabetes, formerly called adult-onset diabetes or noninsulin-dependent diabetes, is the most common form of diabetes. People can develop type 2 diabetes at any age--even during childhood. This form of diabetes usually begins with insulin resistance, a condition in which fat, muscle, and liver cells do not use insulin properly. At first, the pancreas keeps up with the added demand by producing more insulin. In time, however, it loses the ability to secrete enough insulin in response to meals. Being overweight and inactive increases the chances of developing type 2 diabetes. Treatment includes using diabetes medicines, making wise food choices, exercising regularly, taking aspirin daily, and controlling blood pressure and cholesterol.

Pre-diabetes, is a condition that occurs when a person's blood glucose levels are higher than normal but not high enough for a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes. It is estimated that at least 16 million Americans have pre-diabetes, in addition to the 17 million with diabetes.

Gestational diabetes, which some women develop during the late stages of pregnancy. Although this form of diabetes usually goes away after the baby is born, a woman who has had it is more likely to develop type 2 diabetes later in life. Gestational diabetes is caused by the hormones of pregnancy or a shortage of insulin.