America is waking up and realizing it has a diabetes problem — a massive problem — both in terms of quality of life for those who suffer the diseases, and associated monetary impact (one of every five healthcare dollars in the U.S. is spent on patients with diabetes).
Diabetes is actually a collective term for different diseases with different pathophysiology, prevalence, and solution sets. Broadly, type 1 diabetics do not produce insulin either at all or in a satisfactory amount whereas type 2 diabetics produce insulin, but it does not work. In other words, this latter group has insulin insensitivity — where the body has resistance to insulin leading to high bloodsugar — which is a continuum not a discrete moment. Those referred to as having “pre-diabetes” are on the type 2 diabetes path, where insulin production works, but its effectiveness varies.
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