Diabetes is a chronic disease that affects as many as 16 million Americans, with diabetes being on such a dramatic increase in the United States, it's helpful to understand what diabetes is, and what to look for. Diabetes is the leading cause of blindness, renal failure, and amputation in the United States, and is associated with a range of complications, including heart attacks, strokes, amputations and loss of vision. It is characterized by glucose intolerance and is caused by an imbalance between the body's insulin supply and insulin demand.

Diabetes is a chronic (life-long) condition that can have serious consequences. So controlling diabetes is very important and should be supervised by a medical doctor.

Diabetes is often described as type 1, type 2, or gestational diabetes, and it is caused by a combination of genetic and lifestyle factors.

Type 1 diabetes, also known as insulin dependent diabetes mellitus or IDDM, accounts for 5 percent to 10 percent of diagnosed cases of diabetes. Type 1 diabetes develops when the immune system attacks the body, destroying pancreatic b cells and preventing the pancreas from producing the insulin. Type 1 Diabetes is considered an autoimmune disease and is usually diagnosed in children and young adults.

Type 2 diabetes may account for about 90% to 95% of all diagnosed cases of diabetes and affects approximately 8 percent of adults in the United States. Type 2 diabetes mellitus is increasingly common, primarily because of increases in the prevalence of a sedentary lifestyle and obesity.

In type 2 diabetes, the body doesn't produce enough insulin (a hormone that controls blood sugar) or doesn't respond properly to insulin (a condition in which the body fails to properly use insulin). Diet, exercise, oral medication, and insulin are the cornerstones of type 2 diabetes treatment.

As incredible as it sounds, coffee drinkers have a substantially lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes than people who abstain from the beverage. People who are overweight (meaning they have a body mass index of 25 or more) do have an increased risk for diabetes, and the risk increases with size, research has shown that strength training can help overweight adults lower their risk of diabetes. In fact, modest, consistent physical activity and a healthy diet can cut your risk for developing type 2 diabetes by nearly 60 percent.

We often think of overweight adults as being at risk for having diabetes, but it is now know that many overweight teens are at risk for diabetes too. Among the risk factors, diabetes was one of the strongest independent predictors for acute organ failure, with a threefold increased risk. If you want to calculate your personal risk of diabetes, you can visit the American Diabetes Association website.