Diabetes - Diabetes - Is It Preventable?
Diabetes is the name given to a group of conditions linked by the patient's inability to produce and efficiently use insulin. Diabetes is a chronic disease that affects as many as 16 million Americans. The percentage of people suffering from diabetes is increasing rapidly, to the point where many medical authorities are referring to it as an epidemic. There are two types of diabetes, type 1 and type 2. Type 1 is characterized by a lack of insulin production, and has been called juvenile-onset or insulin-dependent diabetes.