Diabetes mellitus, a term that means “the running through of sugar,” was first identified in the 1st century AD.(1) The disease was described in old books as “the melting down of flesh into urine.” Diabetes mellitus is a chronic condition where there is less insulin than what the body needs. This can be low insulin, a problem with the release of insulin, insulin that cannot work in the cells that need it, or insulin that is inactivated before it is able to function. Diabetes mellitus is a disease in which the body does not produce or does not use insulin effectively. It is not simply hyperglycemia, or too much glucose (sugar) in the blood.

Insulin is a hormone produced in the pancreas by the beta cells in the Islets of Langerhans. The release of insulin by these special cells is regulated by the amount of glucose in the blood. It is responsible for transporting glucose (from carbohydrates) into the cells for energy production. After a meal, when blood sugar increases, insulin release increases. Between meals, when blood sugar is low, insulin release is low. Insulin is released from the pancreas directly into the liver where some is used and some is broken down and eliminated from the body. The rest is released into the general blood circulation. By helping to move glucose into the cells, insulin decreases blood sugar. Insulin also decreases the breakdown of stored fat and builds triglycerides. Insulin is involved in the production of protein. The proper growth and development of children is dependent on insulin.

Diabetes can affect people of any age. It increases the risk of chronic conditions like heart disease, retinopathy (a disease of the retina) and blindness, peripheral neuropathies (a disease of the nervous system), circulation problems that can lead to amputation, problems with the immune system, and skin ulcers and poor wound healing.

Diabetes is diagnosed by lab tests, either a fasting plasma glucose (FPG) or a two-hour plasma glucose (OGTT – oral glucose tolerance test). There are two forms of diabetes mellitus: type 1 (also called IDDM, insulin dependent diabetes mellitus, or juvenile onset) and type 2 (NIDDM, non-insulin dependent diabetes, or adult onset).

Type 1 diabetes is a condition where the beta cells in the pancreas do not release insulin. This is called an absolute insulin deficiency. This means that the individual has hyperglycemia and begins to break down their fats and protein in order to meet the energy demands of the body. This breakdown of fats and protein makes the insulin dependent diabetic build up waste products called ketone bodies, which causes a condition called ketoacidosis. Insulin dependent diabetics need a constant supply of insulin to prevent ketoacidosis and maintain a stable blood sugar.

Type 1 diabetes usually occurs in people younger than 30 years of age. It is thought that the disease is a caused by something in a person's family history (genetic factor) that responds abnormally to the beta cells in the Islets of Langerhans. Islet cell antibodies have been found in 60-95 percent of persons with type 1 diabetes.(2) Sometimes this unusual response by the body can be started by a virus, a vaccination, or a toxic fungus.