The body’s blood sugar is controlled by insulin, a hormone produced by the pancreas in the abdomen. Insulin acts on food in the bloodstream to move glucose into cells, where it is broken down to produce energy.

Diabetes is a chronic condition in which cells are unable to break down glucose into energy. This is due to insufficient production of insulin or the insulin produced does not function properly. The former, which is much more common, is called type 2 diabetes and the latter, type 1 diabetes.