Diabetes is a chronic (long-lasting) health disease that affects how your body transforms food into energy. Your body breaks down most of the food you consume into sugar (glucose) and releases it into your circulation. When your blood sugar goes high, it tells your pancreas to produce insulin. Insulin operates like a key to allow the blood sugar into your body’s cells for usage as energy. With diabetes, your body doesn’t create enough insulin or can’t utilise it as effectively as it should. When there isn’t enough insulin or cells stop reacting to insulin, too much blood sugar lingers in your system. Over time, it might create major health concerns, such as heart disease ,eyesight loss , and renal illness. Diabetes is caused by any form of excessive glucose in the blood. However, the cause of elevated blood glucose levels varies from one kind of diabetes to the next. Insulin resistance is the primary cause of type 2 diabetes. When muscle, fat, and liver cells fail to properly react to insulin, the condition is known as insulin resistance. Obesity, inactivity, poor nutrition, hormonal disruptions, heredity, and certain medicines are only some of the causes of insulin resistance. When your immune system destroys the insulin-producing cells in your pancreas, you get type 1 diabetes or latent autoimmune diabetes of the infant.

Check your blood sugar levels using a glucometer or a continuous glucose monitor (CGM). Tests for diabetes include A1C test, Fasting blood sugar test, Glucose tolerance test etc. The A1C test estimates your blood sugar level as an average over the last 2-3 months. A normal A1C is less than 5.7%, prediabetes is between 5.7% and 6.4%, and diabetes is 6.5% or greater. The fasting blood glucose level determines glucose level at night The normal range for fasting blood sugar is between 100 and 125 mg/dL; a range of 100 to 125 mg/dL suggests prediabetes; and a range of 126 mg/dL or above implies diabetes. Your blood sugar levels are measured both before and after you consume a glucose-containing beverage. Your fasting blood sugar level will be determined after you go without food for 12 hours before the test and have blood extracted. After consuming the fluid, your blood sugar will be measured one, two, or three hours later. A normal blood sugar level at 2 hours is less than 140 mg/dL, prediabetes is indicated by a level of 140 to 199 mg/dL, and diabetes is diagnosed at a level of 200 mg/dL or more.

Hyperglycemia, or high blood sugar, may be caused by a number of things, most of which have to do with insulin production and how the body handles glucose. Diabetes is the leading cause of hyperglycemia. Both type 1 and type 2 diabetes are characterized by the body's inability to generate or properly utilize the hormone insulin. Elevated blood sugar levels result when glucose cannot enter cells to be utilized as energy because of a lack of insulin. High blood sugar levels may occur when people with diabetes don't take their insulin or oral glucose-lowering drugs as instructed. High blood sugar may be caused by the pancreas not producing enough insulin in patients with diabetes, particularly those with type 1 diabetes. Several causes, including the body's immune system attacking and destroying the pancreas' insulin-producing cells, may contribute to this.

Managing diabetes includes behavioral and pharmacological interventions. Even while fenugreek and other dietary supplements have been linked to improved blood sugar management, medical professionals stress that they are no substitute for actual medical care. Eat a variety of healthful foods, including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean meats, and healthy fats, to maintain a healthy and balanced diet. Restrict your intake of processed meals, sugary drinks, and other high-sugar snacks. It may be helpful to consult with a licensed dietitian or diabetes educator in order to formulate a specific food plan.

Diet is very important in controlling diabetes. A balanced diet may not be able to cure diabetes, but it may help manage symptoms such as high blood sugar, poor insulin sensitivity, and the development of serious complications. Carbohydrates have the most effect on blood sugar, so watch how much you eat of them. Choose complex carbs from whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and legumes instead of refined carbohydrates for a more gradual rise in blood sugar. Maintain steady blood sugar by keeping an eye on portion sizes and spreading carbs out throughout the day.

In adults, it should be between 90 and 130 mg/dL (5.0 and 7.2 mmol/L). Children aged 13–19 should have levels between 90 and 130 mg/dL (5.0 and 7.2 mmol/L). Six-to-twelve-year-old kids should have their levels between 90 and 180 mg/dL (5.0 and 10.0 mmol/L). Children less than six years old should have levels between 100 and 180 mg/dL (5.5 and 10.0 mmol/L).