Over 11 million people in the U.S. know they have diabetes and another 7 million have it but are unaware of it. Diabetes means just one thing - a high blood sugar level. Glucose in the blood gives you powerthe kinds you need when you walk quickly, run for a bus, ride your bike, take an aerobics class, and perform your day-to-day chores. There are many conditions and problems connected with diabetes, such as obesity and heart problems; the disease itself is defined only by plasma glucose levels.

Types of Diabetes
There are three types of diabetes:

Type 1 Diabetes
It is insulin dependent and often called juvenile onset diabetes. In type 1 diabetes the body stops producing insulin or produces too little insulin to regulate blood glucose level. It develops most often in children and young adults, but the disorder can appear at any age.

Type 2 Diabetes
It is non-insulin dependent and often called adult onset. About 90 to 95% of people with diabetes have Type 2. It is the most common form of diabetes. In type 2 diabetes either the body does not produce enough insulin or the cells ignore the insulin, which is necessary for the body to be able to use sugar. It is typically recognized in adulthood, usually after age 45 years.

Type 2 diabetes is usually controlled with diet, weight loss, exercise, and oral medications. A drug has just been approved by FDA for Type 2 Diabetes, called Januvia.

Gestational Diabetes
It is a form of diabetes that occurs during the second half of pregnancy. Pregnant women who have never had diabetes before but who have high blood sugar levels during pregnancy are said to have gestational diabetes.

Gestational diabetes affects about 4% of all pregnant women - about 135,000 cases of gestational diabetes in the United States each year. Although gestational diabetes typically goes away after delivery, women who have gestational diabetes are more likely than other women to develop type 2 diabetes later in life.