Diabetes patients often gain better control of their disease through healthy lifestyle choices. But when diet and exercise aren't enough, weight loss surgery may do the trick, especially for obese patients.

In many cases, type 2 diabetes can be prevented or reversed through a healthy diet and exercise. When lifestyle changes don't do the trick, obese patients can turn to weight loss surgery.

Glucose, the sugar found in the blood, is a key part of the body's metabolism and is used by every cell in the human body.

Just as diabetes is a complex disease, treating diabetes also can be complicated. Some patients need only diet and exercise, while others need medications.

Diabetes affects much more than blood sugar. The disease can cause problems in the brain and nervous system, which means that the mental health of diabetes patients could be at stake.

The risk of dementia is higher in diabetic patients that also have depression. Healthy diet, exercise and treatment for depression may help lower this risk significantly.

Ethnicity matters when it comes to your risk of diabetes. While researchers do not know exactly why some ethnic groups have a higher diabetes risk, they do know that white Europeans often have a lower risk than other groups.

If your diabetes goes untreated, you could face a number of serious complications. But if you start battling diabetes early, you may have a better chance of controlling the disease.