Diabetes is a “close-hit” disease. It's a disease that affects both sides of my family, my mother and father, and my father actually has the disease. And about 2 years ago my fiance was also diagnosed with diabetes, a diabetes that is not common in his family. Diabetes mellitus, according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, is a variable disorder of carbohydrate metabolism caused by a combination of hereditary and environmental factors and generally characterized by inadequate secretion or use of insulin, excessive urine production , by excessive amounts of sugar in the blood. and urine, as well as through thirst, hunger and weight loss (mw.com). Diabetes is among the top ten causes of death in the United States, ranking seventh (The Facts). Diabetes mellitus is divided into two main types: type 1 and type 2. Type 1, previously called insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus or juvenile diabetes mellitus, is usually diagnosed in children and young adults. In type 1, the body can no longer produce the appropriate amount of insulin. Insulin, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, is a protein pancreatic hormone secreted by the beta cells of the islets of Langerhans which is essential in particular for the metabolism of carbohydrates and the regulation of glucose levels in the blood and which, when it is insufficiently produced, leads to diabetes. sweet (mw.com). Poor insulin production is caused by an autoimmune attack on the pancreas. The majority of people with type 1 diabetes have abnormal antibodies. Abnormal antibodies mixed with inflammatory cells are not good and lead to tissue damage. The beta cells of the pancreas, which are responsible for producing insulin, are attacked by the misdirected immune system...... middle of paper ... normal but not high enough to qualify as diabetes. Studies have shown that by losing weight and increasing physical activity, people can prevent or delay the progression of prediabetes to diabetes (The Facts). The NDEP also states that 25.6 million Americans aged 20 or older have diabetes and 10.9 million Americans aged 65 and older have diabetes (The Facts). Diabetes and diabetes research is something that will always be extremely important to me. Knowing that this disease affects both sides of my family definitely encourages me to live a healthier lifestyle, so that I can hopefully avoid developing the disease. Although insulin injections and other medications help maintain adequate glucose levels, they are certainly not a cure. Much is still unknown about diabetes and I hope that as researchers discover more and more about this disease, a cure will be discovered..