About Diabetes

Glucose is the body’s energy source and comes from the breakdown by our bodies of the food we eat. Glucose passes from the blood to the body’s cells by using the hormone insulin.

When the body does not make enough insulin or has a resistance to insulin, diabetes occurs.

Type 1 diabetes is when the body does not make enough insulin.

In Type 2 diabetes the body is resistant to high levels of insulin. There is plenty of insulin in the body but the cells are unable to use it.

In each case, glucose then builds up in the blood and our body tissue becomes starved for energy. The resulting high blood sugar levels over a long period of time can damage vital organs. This can include the kidneys, eyes, and nerves.

Although diabetes is not a contagious disease, Type 2 diabetes has reached virtually epidemic levels in Bermuda. More than 9,000 Bermudians have been diagnosed.

Per capita, more people are known to suffer from this life-threatening disease here than anywhere else in the world.

Worse, the Bermuda Diabetes Epidemiology Project estimates that for every two known cases of diagnosed diabetes, there is another undiagnosed case.

Fortunately, with proper treatment and lifestyle changes, diabetes can be controlled. Better yet, with a healthy lifestyle, it can be prevented.