To make use of that fuel, it also needs insulin, a hormone produced by the pancreas. The condition known as insulin-dependent diabetes occurs when the pancreas cannot make insulin. As a result, the body is deprived of fuel, and unhealthy levels of glucose build up in the blood stream. This accounts for about 5 percent of all diabetes. Most often, insulin-dependent diabetes is diagnosed in children or young adults.
Treatment includes regular injections of insulin and careful regulation of the diet.
It occurs mostly in adults of middle-age or older and in people who are overweight. In this condition, the pancreas produces insulin, but the cells are unable to make effective use of it, a condition known as insulin resistance. A majority of people who are overweight have some degree of insulin resistance, but only a portion develop diabetes. Diabetes is diagnosed when blood glucose reaches an unhealthy level. Weight and diet affect diabetes in ways that are still being studied.