What is diabetes?

There are currently over 2 million people with diabetes in the UK.

There are up to another 750,000 people with diabetes who have the condition and don't know it. Locally, in the Wakefield, there are around 20,000 people living with diabetes.

What is diabetes?

Diabetes mellitus is a condition in which the amount of glucose (sugar) in the blood is too high because the body cannot use it properly. Glucose comes from the digestion of starchy foods such as bread, rice and sugar, and from the liver, which makes glucose.

Insulin is vital for life. It is a hormone produced by the pancreas that helps the glucose to enter the cells where it is used as fuel by the body.