Diabetes mellitus is a group of metabolic diseases characterised by high blood sugar (glucose) levels. This results from defects in the secretion of the hormone (insulin) that controls the amount of sugar in the blood, or the inability of the body to respond to this hormone. There are two types of diabetes, type1 which results in an absolute deficiency of insulin secretion and type 2, which is the most common type of diabetes resulting in insulin resistance which typically develops in overweight adults. Other risk factors of diabetes mellitus include physical inactivity, ethnicity or family history.
