Diabetes

Beneath your liver and behind your stomach, you have a fish-shaped gland called your pancreas. The head of the pancreas, on the right side, is connected to the small intestine, where most digestion takes place.

The pancreas secretes chemicals that help you digest food. It also produces the hormone insulin—shown here as green particles--when blood levels of glucose increase. Glucose, shown as white particles, is a type of sugar that comes from carbohydrate foods.

Normally, insulin "unlocks" cells allowing glucose to move out of your bloodstream into your cells for energy. Insulin is produced until blood glucose levels fall below a certain level. The insulin attaches to cells on the walls of blood vessels, liver, muscles and fat. In response, the cells absorb glucose out of the blood.

In type 1 diabetes, the pancreas produces little or no insulin. In type 2 diabetes, the pancreas does not produce enough insulin or the cells it attaches to do not respond. If glucose is not absorbed, blood levels stay high, which can lead to serious health problems.

Too much glucose damages the walls of blood vessels. This damage increases the risk of developing complications of diabetes, including eye disease, called retinopathy; heart disease; kidney disease, called nephropathy; and nerve disease, called neuropathy.

Treatment options are available. See your doctor for further information.