Diabetes isn't just about having "high blood sugar." It's a chronic metabolic condition that affects how your body turns food into energy. Most of the food we eat is broken down into glucose (sugar) and released into our bloodstream. Insulin, a hormone made by your pancreas, acts like a key that lets blood sugar into your body's cells to be used for energy.
In diabetes, either your body doesn't make enough insulin (in type 1 diabetes), or it doesn't use insulin well (insulin resistance, common in type 2 diabetes), or both. When there isn't enough insulin or cells stop responding to insulin, too much blood sugar stays in your bloodstream. Over time, this high blood sugar can lead to serious health problems, affecting your heart, blood vessels, eyes, kidneys, and nerves. That's why you might be experiencing unusual symptoms like increased thirst, frequent urination, unexplained weight loss, or blurred vision – your body is struggling to regulate its fuel source.