There are in fact two main types of diabetes – Type 1 and Type 2, and they are totally different in cause and treatment regime. There is also a strain of diabetes called gestational diabetes that is only suffered by pregnant women.

To understand diabetes, we must first appreciate the role that insulin plays in our body. When we consume glucose, fructose or carbohydrates, our body converts them into glucose in the blood stream. For us to be able to use the glucose to produce energy, our pancreas produces insulin which 'unlocks' receptors in our cells and allows the glucose to enter the cells and be used for energy.

In Type 1 diabetes the body is incapable of producing enough insulin to regulate blood sugar adequately. It is frequently called juvenile diabetes or insulin dependent diabetes, and it usually occurs in people under 30 years of age.

The condition comes on quite suddenly and is characterised by unquenchable thirst brought on by a surplus of glucose in the blood stream. This also results in frequent urination, another symptom. It is a chronic condition – that is, it is a lifelong illness. It is thought to be an auto-immune problem in the pancreas that destroys the insulin producing cells.

Type 1 diabetics make up about 5-10% of those with diabetes and it is treated by administering insulin either by injection or by a drip feed. There is a danger for type 1 diabetics that they may suddenly lose consciousness and they are also at risk for serious complications.

A recent technological breakthrough has created a new treatment involving the transplantation of islet cells, and although the patient needs to take drugs to stop the body rejecting the cells, the new cells are capable of producing insulin and patients in the medical trial have reported significantly reduced need for insulin injection. The hope is that the injections may eventually be entirely eliminated through the use of transplants of islet cells.

Type 1 diabetics are prone over time to be affected by micro-vascular disorders, sight problems, vascular disorders and kidney problems due largely to long term damage to their blood vessels.

Type 2 diabetes accounts for 90-95% of diabetes cases. Sufferers from type 2 diabetes are able to produce insulin, but their cell receptors have become resistant to insulin. Thus, their body has to produce greater amounts of insulin to be able to 'unlock' the cells so that they are able to extract the glucose from the blood stream. Eventually, these sufferers get to the point where they cannot create enough insulin to reduce the sugar levels in their body.

The disease affects 15-20% of people over the age of 60. A substantial number of adults remain undiagnosed as diabetes sufferers. It is usually discovered during a doctor's check-up following complaints of an infection such as a chest, skin or urinary problem.

Type 2 diabetes can be controlled through weight reduction and diet control or with prescription medicines. Although there is a definite genetic link to the disease in a high number of cases, it is kick started by being obese, a lack of exercise and pursuing a diet full of high glycaemic index carbohydrates (white rice, white bread, sugar and fruit).Weight management, exercise and a diet low in fructose, sugars and processed carbohydrates are recognised as important techniques when trying to avoid the disease.

More alarming is the recent trend of children being found suffering from Type 2 diabetes. This is thought to be due to the prevalence of childhood obesity, combined with the shortage of exercise that overweight children take and the diet they follow that is high in carbohydrates and sugar with a high glycaemic index.

Gestational diabetes affects around 4% of women during their pregnancy. Most women recover from this form of the illness once the baby has been born, but it does seem to indicate an increased risk of contracting type 2 diabetes later in their lives.

The most recognisable sign of diabetes is constant thirst and subsequent regular urination. Other symptoms include dizziness, constant fatigue, unexplained weight loss, itching and leg pains walking.

If diabetes just involved taking insulin for the remainder of your life, it wouldn't be such a serious problem. Diabetics have a number of elevated risks including:

- twice the rate of heart disease compared to non-sufferers

- five times the risk of having a stroke

- the most frequent need for limb amputations discounting accidents

- diabetes is the most likely cause in all new cases of blindness in people aged 24 to 74

- the cause of over one third of new kidney diseases and the major cause of end-stage renal disease.

Accurate and consistent management of blood sugar levels reduces the odds of any of the above occurring.