DECODING THE TYPES

Type-1 diabetes occurs when a person’s immune system attacks and destroys the cells in the pancreas that produce insulin, decreasing and finally stopping insulin production completely. It usually occurs before the age of 20 years.

Type-2 diabetes – also called adultonset diabetes – occurs when the body cannot use the insulin produced efficiently. In people with insulin-resistance, the glucose remains in the blood and forces the pancreas to overwork to produce more insulin, finally wearing it out. Gestational diabetes affects some women during pregnancy, but it usually goes away after the baby is born. These women, however, are at a higher risk for developing type=2 diabetes later in life.