7 ways high blood sugar levels affect your body

If you’re trying to manage diabetes, it can help to understand how the disease works.

When you eat, food is broken down by the body. Some of it is turned into sugar, also known as glucose. Glucose enters your blood and is moved into cells where it can be used as energy. If too much glucose builds up in the blood and it has problems getting into cells, diabetes can occur.

Diabetes develops because the body has trouble with insulin. Insulin is a chemical made by the pancreas that helps carry sugar from the blood into the body’s cells. If you’re not producing enough insulin or your body isn’t using it correctly, the amount of glucose in your blood will increase. This can cause damage throughout your body.

To get your blood sugar to healthy levels, you might be advised to make lifestyle changes. These may include:

• Eating a healthy diet rich in fruits, vegetables, lean protein, and whole grains and low in salt, added sugars, and saturated fat
• Getting regular exercise as you are able
• Managing your weight, since being overweight is a main cause of insulin resistance
• Taking medication or insulin

You will also begin to regularly track your blood sugar.