Diabetes mellitus is a chronic disease in which the body is not able to correctly process glucose for cell energy due to either an insufficient amount of the hormone insulin or a physical resistance to the insulin the body does produce.<\/p>\n
Six basic things you must know about diabetes:<\/span><\/p>\n 1. It\u2019s not your fault.<\/strong><\/p>\n Diabetes can be caused by many factors, including being inherited, that means you were born with a tendency to get the disease.<\/p>\n It\u2019s true that specific things can trigger diabetes, including stress, lack of activity and weight gain. But it also means there are things that you can do to make it better and live healthier.<\/p>\n 2. Don\u2019t panic!<\/strong><\/p>\n You may recall about your uncle with diabetes who had his leg amputated or the neighbor who died of a heart attack.<\/p>\n There are things you can do to decrease your risk of these complications.<\/p>\n 3. You don\u2019t need special foods.<\/strong><\/p>\n People usually want to know what they can eat when they go home and worry that they\u2019ll never be able to consume anything sweet again.<\/p>\n You must know that you should eat the same way everyone should eat. That means controlling carbohydrates, portion sizes, fat and salt intake, but also enjoying the occasional sweet treat.<\/p>\n Use diabetes as something that can motivate you and your families to live the healthier lives that all of us should be living.<\/p>\n