Katie 'Schneiber' Hill, MD | Source | CMO at Nudj Health

Diabetes is defined as a defect in metabolism causing elevated blood glucose levels for prolonged periods of time. Each time we eat, the digestive process begins in the mouth with saliva and mechanical chewing to break food into smaller pieces. Digestion continues in the stomach and into the small and large intestines with many other organs contributing as well. During this process food is broken into its component parts such as glucose, proteins, and fats and they all get absorbed into the bloodstream. As glucose hits the blood, it triggers release of a hormone called insulin from the pancreas. The insulin allows glucose to leave the blood vessels and enter cells so it can enter the Krebs cycle and get turned into ATP, the cellular energy source. Excess glucose is stored in the liver as glycogen and after that in fat cells as fat.