NUTRITION AND DIET IN PEOPLE WITH DIABETES

Diabetes is a set of related diseases in which the body cannot regulate the amount of sugar glucose in the blood. In a healthy person, the blood glucose level is regulated by several hormones, one of which is insulin. Insulin is produced by the pancreas, a small organ near the stomach that also secretes important enzymes that help in the digestion food. Insulin allows glucose to move from the blood into liver, muscles, and fat cells, where it is used as fuel. People with diabetes either do not produce enough insulin (type 1 diabetes) or cannot use insulin properly (type 2 diabetes), or both. In diabetes, glucose in the blood cannot move into cells, and it stays in the blood. This not only harms the cells that need glucose as fuel, but also harms certain organs and tissues exposed to the high glucose levels