It’s important to understand how your body works when you have diabetes. Learning the facts will help you make good choices as you treat. Click on the links below for more information.

	Insulin			Treating with insulin
	Type 1 diabetes			Low blood glucose level
	Type 2 diabetes			Managing diabetes

Insulin
Your body changes most of the food you eat into glucose, a type of sugar. Glucose travels in the blood to the cells in your body. Insulin is a hormone made by your body to help glucose move from the blood into your body cells. That’s where your body changes glucose into energy. People without diabetes have insulin levels that go up and down based on their blood glucose levels (also called blood sugar levels). They release insulin at a steady rate through the day and night, and in bursts during meals.

• The steady rate of insulin is called “basal” (bay-zul) insulin
• The burst of insulin during mealtime is called “bolus” (boh-luss) insulin

When you have diabetes, your body doesn’t make insulin, doesn’t make enough insulin, or doesn’t use insulin in the right way. This depends on what type of diabetes you may have.

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Type 1 diabetes
According to the American Diabetes Association (ADA), it is estimated that 5% to 10% of Americans with diabetes have type 1 diabetes. People with type 1 diabetes don’t make any insulin. Although it can occur at any age, type 1 is more commonly diagnosed in children and young adults. The cause is unknown, but there are many factors that may play a role, including genetics.

For information on other Novo Nordisk products that can help treat type 1 diabetes, click here.

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Type 2 diabetes
The most common form of diabetes is type 2 diabetes. People with type 2 diabetes may still make insulin. The problem is, they either don’t make enough insulin, or the body doesn’t use the insulin they produce in the right way. Millions of people around the world have type 2 diabetes. It can occur in both children and adults.

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Treating diabetes with insulin
Some people with type 2 diabetes can treat their condition with diet, exercise, and pills. But because diabetes develops over time, many people may eventually need to take insulin. Needing insulin does not mean your diabetes is worse or that you didn’t follow your diabetes care plan. It just means that your body can no longer make enough insulin, or properly use the insulin you do make. There are different types of insulin:

• Intermediate- or long-acting insulin takes care of the body’s basal needs
• Short- or rapid-acting insulin takes care of the body’s bolus needs

NovoLog Mix 70/30 is one insulin that works in two ways. It can help cover both the body’s bolus needs at mealtime and the body’s basal needs for up to 24 hours.

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Low blood glucose levels
Low blood glucose, or hypoglycemia, is the most common side effect of treating with insulin. It can occur when you’ve taken too much medicine, or your eating habits change. It can also occur when you are more active than usual.

Symptoms of mild-to-moderate hypoglycemia include:

Sweating Dizziness Shakiness Hunger Tingling sensation around the mouth Pale skin color Headache

Sudden moodiness or behavior changes Clumsy or jerky movements Seizure Difficulty paying attention