1. Diabetes is a disease in which the body does not produce or properly use insulin, a hormone that is needed to convert sugar, starches and other food into energy needed for daily life.
    
2. 25.8 million people (or 8.3 percent of the U.S. population) have diabetes. 18.8 million are diagnosed and 7 million are undiagnosed.
    
3. Total deaths from diabetes are projected to rise by more than 50 percent in the next 10 years.
    
4. There are two types of diabetes: Type 1 diabetes, which is characterized by a lack of insulin production and type 2 diabetes, which results from the body's ineffective use of insulin.
    
5. Type 2 diabetes is much more common than type 1 diabetes, and accounts for around 90 to 95 percent of all diagnosed cases of diabetes in adults.
    
6. Pregnant women who have never had diabetes before, but have high blood sugar levels during pregnancy are said to have gestational diabetes. It occurs in 2 to 10 percent of pregnancies.
    
7. Lack of awareness about diabetes, combined with insufficient access to health services, can lead to complications such as blindness, amputation, and kidney failure.
    
8. 30 minutes of moderately intense physical activity on most days and a healthy diet can drastically reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
    
9. 13 million men have diabetes (or 11.8 percent of all men 20-years and older) versus 12.6 million women who have diabetes (or 10.8 percent of all women 20-years and older).
    
10. Total health care and related costs for the treatment of diabetes run about $174 billion annually.
     
11. Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death listed on U.S. death certificates.

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Sources: Center for Disease Control and Prevention [2], American Diabetes Association [3], National Diabetes Education Program [4]