What is Diabetes, Anyway?

America's epidemic of obesity is leading to a corresponding epidemic in diabetes, but most people don't know much about the disease other than some vague ideas about shots and sugar-free diets.

I'm Dr. Caroline Cederquist, giving you The Skinny on Your Health.

In diabetes, sugar builds up in the blood instead of entering the body's cells. Medication or insulin shots are needed to move the sugar into the proper places.

But the physical costs of the disease go way beyond the discomfort of injections.

Diabetes often leads to kidney disease, heart attack and stroke.

If you've heard about demanding dietary changes, imagine the lifestyle changes caused by diabetes-induced blindness.

Diabetes causes circulatory and nerve problems that lead to nearly 100,000 amputations every year!

Diabetes, is now the sixth-leading cause of death in the U.S.

Sure, people do learn to manage the illness, but why not just avoid it to begin with?

Type 2 Diabetes is also almost totally preventable - through proper diet and fitness.