Diabetes
What is Diabetes?
Diabetes is a long-term condition that causes a person's blood sugar level to become too high. There are two main types of diabetes – type 1 and type 2. Type 2 diabetes is far more common than type 1 diabetes, which is an autoimmune disease and cannot be prevented.
In type 2 diabetes, the body either doesn't produce enough insulin to function properly, or the body's cells don't react to insulin. This leads to raised blood sugar levels that can lead to serious complications including stroke, heart and kidney disease, and amputations, if not well managed.
Reduce your risk
We can all reduce our risk of developing type 2 diabetes through maintaining a healthy weight, being active and eating a healthy diet.
Take this quick and simple test to find out if you're at risk of type 2 diabetes.
- Type 2 diabetes - complications
- Type 2 diabetes - causes
- Reducing your risk of type 2 diabetes
- Lose weight
- Healthy eating
- Getting active and staying active
- NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme
Other Health Information
Want to be your healthiest you?
As we get older, we have a higher risk of developing something dangerous like high blood pressure, heart disease or type 2 diabetes. Your NHS Health Check can spot early signs and help prevent these happening to you.
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