Insulin is an essential hormone. Its job is to move glucose, the fuel we need for the millions of cells within our bodies to function properly, into our cells.

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease. That means that one day, most often due to a hereditary predisposition, the immune system looks at the insulin manufacturing cells in the pancreas, decides that they are the enemy, and develops antibodies to destroy them. People with type 1 diabetes produce little or no insulin. This type of diabetes is most often diagnosed in people under the age of 40. However, type 1 diabetes can be diagnosed at any age. Only about 8% of people with diabetes have type 1.

Type 2 diabetes is a disease of insulin resistance and is the most common form of diabetes, accounting for about 90% of all cases. It often runs in families, where parents, grandparents or siblings have it. Another contributing factor is obesity. Insulin resistance makes it hard for insulin to do its job of moving glucose into the cells. Until fairly recently, type 2 diabetes was seen almost exclusively in adults. However, in the past few decades, with the increase in obesity in youth, we are seeing children diagnosed with type 2 diabetes as well.

One thing that is not different between type 1 and type 2 diabetes: if diabetes is not well managed over time, serious complications can develop.