Diabetes types

There are two main types of diabetes: Type 1 and Type 2.

Type 1

Type 1 diabetes develops if the body cannot produce any insulin. This type of diabetes usually appears before the age of 40. Type 1 diabetes is the least common of the two main types, affecting between 5 - 15% of all people with diabetes.

Type 2

Between 85 - 95% of all people with diabetes have Type 2 diabetes. This develops when the body can still make some insulin, but not enough, or when the insulin that is produced does not work properly. This is known as insulin resistance. In most cases this is linked with being overweight.

This type of diabetes usually appears in people over the age of 40, although it can affect South Asian and African-Caribbean people as early as 25. Lately more children are being diagnosed with the condition, some as young as seven.