Diabetes affects millions of people each year around in the United States and around the world.
Diabetes is a disease in which the body does not produce enough insulin which it needs to keep a normal level of sugar in the blood.
The blood sugar level should typically be  70 to 120 mg/dL.
mg/dl (milligrams/deciliter) is the traditional unit for measuring bG (blood glucose).
All scientific journals are moving quickly toward using mmol/L exclusively.
mg/dl won't disappear soon, and some journals now use mmol/L as the primary unit but quote mg/dl in parentheses, reflecting the large base of health care providers and researchers (not to mention patients) who are already familiar with mg/dl.
Symptoms of diabetes can include increased thirst, increased hunger and very frequent urination.
The two types of Diabetes are Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes.
In type 1 diabetes, the body does not produce any insulin at all.
This is often detected an an early stage in childhood but can develop over time as well.
In type 2 diabetes, there is some level of insulin produced but not enough to keep the blood sugar level under control.
This type of diabetes is more common in overweight people.
Managing the blood sugar in an important part of diabetes which include diet, exercise and checking your blood sugar frequently to make sure the level is not too high.
Patients use a blood glucose meter in order to check their blood sugar level.
This involves a prick of the finger with a lancet and inserting a blood glucose strip with the blood sample, into the meter for a reading.