Knowing the causes and risk factors of diabetes is crucial to your health. Currently there are 18.2 million people in the United States with diabetes, according to the American Diabetes Association. That is over 6% of the population, and it is estimated that 1/3 of the people with diabetes do not even know that they have it. This is a big problem because early detection is critical to avoiding painful and debilitating complications.

Diabetes is a disease of the metabolic system in which the body cannot properly produce insulin. Insulin is a hormone that is needed by the body to help turn the food that we eat into energy. Without insulin the cells are starved for energy and glucose (sugar) is left in the blood stream. Overtime, high levels of blood sugar can damage major organs such as your heart, eyes, and kidneys.

There are two major types of diabetes, …