If you have searched "what is diabetes", someone close to you has probably just been diagnosed, or a report has come back with a sugar number marked high. This page explains the condition in plain words: what goes wrong in the body, what the names mean, the types, and what can and cannot be done.
For a full overview of tests, treatment and food, see our diabetes guide covering symptoms, tests and treatment.
In everyday Indian speech, diabetes is simply "sugar" or "sugar ki bimari". The Hindi medical word is madhumeh, which means honey urine. All of these describe the same thing: blood sugar that stays higher than the body can safely handle.
What is diabetes? High blood sugar explained simply
Diabetes is a long-term condition in which the level of glucose (sugar) in the blood stays too high. The World Health Organization (WHO) describes it as a chronic disease that happens when the pancreas does not make enough insulin, or when the body cannot use the insulin it makes properly.
When you eat roti, rice, dal or fruit, the carbohydrate is broken down into glucose, which enters the blood and fuels your muscles and brain. To get into the cells, glucose needs insulin, a hormone made by the pancreas, a gland behind the stomach. Think of insulin as the key that opens the cell door.
In diabetes, that system breaks down in one of two ways:
- Too little insulin. The pancreas makes very little or none, as in type 1 diabetes.
- Insulin that does not work well. The pancreas makes insulin, but muscle, liver and fat cells respond poorly to it. This is called insulin resistance. Over time the pancreas also struggles to keep up. This is the pattern in type 2 diabetes.
Either way, glucose that should have gone into cells stays in the blood, which is why sugar stays high even when you are not eating sweets. Over years, this damages blood vessels and nerves.
Diabetes mellitus and "diabetic": what the words mean
The full medical name is diabetes mellitus. "Diabetes" comes from a Greek word meaning a siphon, describing how people with untreated disease passed large amounts of urine. "Mellitus" is Latin for honey-sweet. The English physician Thomas Willis added it in 1674 after noting that the urine of affected people tasted sweet. Long before that, ancient Indian texts described urine that attracted ants, and physicians such as Sushruta noted its sweet taste. The Hindi name madhumeh carries the same idea.
Mellitus separates it from diabetes insipidus, a rare, unrelated hormone problem in which people pass a lot of urine that is not sweet. When people say "diabetes" today, they mean the sweet kind.
Diabetic is used in two ways. As a describing word, it means related to diabetes, as in diabetic foot or diabetic diet. As a noun, "a diabetic" means a person who has diabetes. Many doctors and patients now prefer "a person with diabetes", because the condition is something you have, not who you are.
Types of diabetes: type 1 and type 2, and others
The American Diabetes Association (ADA) groups diabetes into a few main types. They share high blood sugar but differ in cause, speed and treatment.
| Type | What goes wrong | Who it usually affects | Usual treatment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type 1 diabetes | The immune system destroys the insulin-making cells of the pancreas | Often children and young adults, but any age | Insulin for life, from diagnosis |
| Type 2 diabetes | Insulin resistance plus a gradual fall in insulin output | Mostly adults; in India often from the 30s, sometimes younger | Lifestyle change, tablets, injections, and insulin if needed |
| Gestational diabetes | High sugar first found during pregnancy | Pregnant women, usually in the second half of pregnancy | Food changes, activity, and insulin if needed, under the pregnancy team |
| Prediabetes | Sugar above normal but below the diabetes range | Very common in Indian adults, often with no symptoms | Lifestyle change; sometimes metformin |
| Other types | Single-gene forms, pancreas disease, medicines such as steroids | Less common; needs a specialist to identify | Depends on the cause |
Type 2 diabetes is by far the most common form in India and the one most of this page is about. Gestational diabetes usually settles after delivery, but it raises the mother's chance of type 2 diabetes later, so she needs regular checks for life. Prediabetes is not a type of diabetes but a warning stage; read our guide to prediabetes and how to stop it turning into diabetes.
Among the other types, maturity-onset diabetes of the young (MODY) is an inherited single-gene form that runs through several generations and is sometimes mistaken for type 1 or type 2. Secondary diabetes follows pancreas damage, such as chronic pancreatitis, or long-term steroid use. Getting the type right matters because treatment differs.
How common is diabetes in India?
The largest national study, the Indian Council of Medical Research–India Diabetes (ICMR-INDIAB) study, tested 113,043 adults aged 20 and over across 31 states and union territories between 2008 and 2020. Published in The Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology in 2023, it found:
- Diabetes in 11.4% of adults, which the authors projected to about 101 million people in 2021.
- Prediabetes in 15.3% of adults, about 136 million people, more than the number already living with diabetes.
Diabetes was more common in cities than in villages, but prediabetes was almost as common in rural areas.
What causes diabetes? Risk factors for Indians
Type 1 diabetes is an immune condition. It is not caused by diet or lifestyle, and nothing the person or their parents did brought it on.
Type 2 diabetes comes from a mix of genes and how we live. Eating sugar does not directly cause it, but a diet heavy in refined carbohydrates and calories adds to weight gain. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) notes that type 2 diabetes appears at least a decade earlier in Indians than in many other groups. The main risk factors are:
- Family history: a parent, brother or sister with type 2 diabetes.
- Fat around the waist: a waist over 90 cm in men or 80 cm in women, even if overall weight looks normal.
- Weight: a body mass index (BMI) of 23 or more, a lower cut-off than the one used for Western populations. You can check yours with our BMI calculator with Indian cut-offs.
- Physical inactivity: long hours of sitting and little planned exercise.
- Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), which is closely linked with insulin resistance.
- Past gestational diabetes, which raises the mother's long-term risk.
- High blood pressure, abnormal cholesterol, or dark velvety skin on the neck, all signs that insulin resistance may already be present.
Asian Indians tend to carry more fat around the organs and less muscle at the same weight, which is why diabetes often appears at a lower BMI than in Europeans. ICMR advises screening all adults over 30, and earlier if any of these risk factors are present. The Research Society for the Study of Diabetes in India (RSSDI) suggests a yearly risk check from age 25.
Symptoms of diabetes in brief
Common symptoms are thirst, passing urine often (especially at night), tiredness, blurred vision, slow-healing cuts, repeated infections and tingling in the feet. Type 1 diabetes tends to cause these within days or weeks, often with weight loss. Type 2 diabetes is often silent for years, so feeling well does not rule it out. Our guide to diabetes symptoms and warning signs covers them in detail.
How diabetes is diagnosed: the numbers
Diabetes is diagnosed with a laboratory blood test, not with symptoms or a single home glucometer reading. ADA, WHO and ICMR use these thresholds:
| Test | Diabetes | Prediabetes range |
|---|---|---|
| Glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) | 6.5% or higher | 5.7–6.4% |
| Fasting plasma glucose (after at least 8 hours without food) | 126 mg/dL or higher | 100–125 mg/dL (ADA) or 110–125 mg/dL (WHO and ICMR) |
| 2-hour oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), after a 75 g glucose drink | 200 mg/dL or higher | 140–199 mg/dL |
| Random plasma glucose | 200 mg/dL or higher with classic symptoms | Not used |
Unless you have clear symptoms with very high sugar, an abnormal result is usually confirmed with a repeat test or a second type of test. HbA1c can be misleading in anaemia and some haemoglobin variants, so your doctor may prefer glucose tests in those cases.
Can diabetes be cured? Cure versus remission
An honest answer: there is no cure for diabetes today, but there is a real difference between types.
Type 1 diabetes cannot be cured with current treatment. Insulin is life-saving and lifelong. Be wary of anyone who offers to stop insulin in type 1 diabetes; stopping it can be fatal within days.
Type 2 diabetes can go into remission in some people, mostly through substantial, sustained weight loss, and more often when it is caught early. An international expert group convened by ADA defines remission as an HbA1c below 6.5% lasting at least 3 months after stopping diabetes medicines. The same group chose the word remission rather than cure on purpose: sugar can rise again, so tests continue at least once a year. Remission is not possible for everyone, and medicines should only be reduced by your doctor.
Gestational diabetes usually goes away after the baby is born, and prediabetes can often return to normal with lifestyle change.
How diabetes is treated
Treatment aims to keep sugar in a safe range and protect the heart, kidneys, eyes and nerves. The plan depends on the type and on the person.
- Daily habits are the base for everyone: regular meals with more vegetables, dal and whole grains and smaller portions of rice and roti, regular activity, enough sleep, and stopping tobacco. Our Indian diabetes diet chart shows what this can look like on a plate.
- Metformin is usually the first medicine for type 2 diabetes, unless there is a reason not to use it.
- Other medicines are added as needed, including sulfonylureas, gliptins, gliflozins, pioglitazone and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) medicines. Some also protect the heart or kidneys. Our list of diabetes medicines used in India explains each group.
- Insulin is essential in type 1 diabetes and is also used in type 2 diabetes and pregnancy when other treatment is not enough. Needing insulin is not a failure; it is a tool.
Treatment also includes regular checks of blood pressure, cholesterol, kidneys, eyes and feet.
Complications: why control matters
Sugar that stays high for years damages large and small blood vessels and nerves. WHO lists these as the main long-term complications:
- Heart attack and stroke, through damage to blood vessels.
- Kidney disease, which can progress to kidney failure.
- Eye damage (retinopathy), which can cause permanent vision loss.
- Nerve damage and poor circulation in the feet, leading to ulcers and, in severe cases, amputation.
Very high sugar can also cause emergencies such as diabetic ketoacidosis, and some medicines can cause low sugar. The encouraging part is that steady control of sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol, started early, lowers the risk of all of these.
When to see a doctor
Our diabetes guide has the full list of warning signs.
Emergency: get help now
- Vomiting, stomach pain, deep or fast breathing, fruity breath, confusion or marked drowsiness, especially with a high reading.
- Suspected low sugar with drowsiness, confusion, a fit or unconsciousness in someone on diabetes medicine.
Prompt review: within a day or two
- A child or young adult with heavy thirst, bedwetting and weight loss.
- A foot wound that is not healing, or a sudden change in vision.
Routine review: book a test
- You are over 30, or younger with a risk factor such as a family history, a large waist, PCOS or past gestational diabetes, and have not been tested recently.
- A report shows a result in the prediabetes or diabetes range.
Not sure who to see? Our guide to which doctor to see for diabetes explains when a general physician is enough and when to see a diabetologist.
How Disha can help
Disha is an AI health coach that chats and calls in Hindi, English and Hinglish. After an onboarding call of about 15–20 minutes, conducted by Disha itself, it can help you understand a new diabetes or prediabetes result, turn your doctor's plan into daily food, movement and sleep habits, and remind you about follow-up tests. Disha does not diagnose, prescribe, change medicine doses or provide emergency care, and it does not replace your doctor. Read how Disha coaching works.
This is not medical advice. This page is general information for adults. Only a laboratory test can diagnose diabetes. Do not stop or change insulin or other diabetes medicines without your doctor. If you are pregnant or caring for a child with symptoms, speak to your doctor. In an emergency, call 112.
Frequently asked questions
What is the diabetes meaning in Hindi?
In Hindi, diabetes is called madhumeh, from words meaning honey and urine, because ancient physicians noticed the urine was sweet. In everyday speech most people say "sugar" or "sugar ki bimari". All these names mean the same condition: blood glucose that stays too high because the body makes too little insulin or cannot use it well.
What is the diabetic meaning in everyday use?
Diabetic has two uses. As a describing word, it means related to diabetes, as in diabetic diet, diabetic foot or diabetic eye disease. As a noun, a diabetic is a person who has diabetes. Many people prefer saying "a person with diabetes", because it describes a condition someone has rather than who they are.
Can diabetes be cured completely?
Not with current treatment. Type 1 diabetes needs insulin for life. Type 2 diabetes can go into remission in some people, mainly after substantial weight loss early in the condition, meaning HbA1c stays below 6.5% for at least 3 months without medicines. It can return, so yearly tests continue. Gestational diabetes usually goes after delivery but raises later risk.
Is diabetes caused by eating too much sugar?
Not directly. Type 1 diabetes is an immune condition unrelated to diet. Type 2 diabetes comes from genes plus weight around the waist, inactivity and overall diet. Sugary drinks and sweets add calories and weight, which raises risk, but cutting sugar alone will not prevent or treat diabetes. Total diet, activity and weight matter more.
What sugar level means diabetes?
On a laboratory test, a fasting plasma glucose of 126 mg/dL or more, an HbA1c of 6.5% or more, or a 2-hour glucose tolerance result of 200 mg/dL or more indicates diabetes. A random glucose of 200 mg/dL or more counts only with classic symptoms. Results are usually confirmed with a repeat test before diagnosis.
Can a thin person get diabetes?
Yes. Many Indians develop type 2 diabetes at a normal weight, because they carry more fat around the waist and internal organs and less muscle. Family history, inactivity, PCOS and past gestational diabetes add to the risk. That is why ICMR advises testing all adults over 30, whatever their weight, and earlier if risk factors are present.
Sources
- World Health Organization. Diabetes fact sheet. 2024. Supports: definition of diabetes as too little insulin or poor use of insulin; type 1 needing insulin; long-term complications in the heart, kidneys, eyes, nerves and feet.
- American Diabetes Association Professional Practice Committee. 2. Diagnosis and Classification of Diabetes: Standards of Care in Diabetes—2026. 2026. Supports: types of diabetes including MODY and secondary forms; diabetes and prediabetes thresholds for HbA1c, fasting glucose and the 2-hour glucose tolerance test; random glucose with symptoms; confirmation of results; lower BMI screening cut-off of 23 for Asian people; lifelong screening after gestational diabetes.
- Anjana RM, Unnikrishnan R, Deepa M, et al. Metabolic non-communicable disease health report of India: the ICMR-INDIAB national cross-sectional study. Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology, 2023. Supports: 113,043 adults aged 20 and over in 31 states and union territories, 2008 to 2020; diabetes 11.4% and about 101 million people; prediabetes 15.3% and about 136 million people in 2021; urban and rural differences.
- Indian Council of Medical Research. ICMR Guidelines for Management of Type 2 Diabetes. 2018. Supports: type 2 diabetes a decade earlier in Indians; screening over 30 and earlier with risk factors such as BMI 23 or more, waist over 90 cm and 80 cm, PCOS and past gestational diabetes; WHO prediabetes ranges.
- Research Society for the Study of Diabetes in India. RSSDI Clinical Practice Recommendations for the Management of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus 2022. 2022. Supports: yearly diabetes-risk evaluation from age 25 in India.
- National Center for Biotechnology Information. Introduction to Diabetes. The Genetic Landscape of Diabetes. NCBI Bookshelf. Supports: the Greek meaning of diabetes as siphon; Thomas Willis adding mellitus, Latin for honey, in 1674; ancient Indian descriptions of sweet urine that attracted ants.
- Riddle MC, Cefalu WT, Evans PH, et al. Consensus Report: Definition and Interpretation of Remission in Type 2 Diabetes. Diabetes Care, 2021. Supports: remission defined as HbA1c below 6.5% at least 3 months after stopping glucose-lowering medicines; choice of remission over cure; at least yearly monitoring.
- American Diabetes Association Professional Practice Committee. 9. Pharmacologic Approaches to Glycemic Treatment: Standards of Care in Diabetes—2026. 2026. Supports: insulin in type 1 diabetes; metformin and other medicine groups in type 2 diabetes; choosing medicines for heart and kidney protection.
- American Diabetes Association Professional Practice Committee. 15. Management of Diabetes in Pregnancy: Standards of Care in Diabetes—2026. 2026. Supports: lifestyle change first in gestational diabetes and insulin when needed.
Related reads
- Diabetes: symptoms, tests, treatment and Indian food: the full overview of diagnosis, treatment and red flags.
- Diabetes symptoms: early signs, warning signs and when to get tested.
- Prediabetes: numbers, signs and how to prevent diabetes: what to do if your result falls between normal and diabetes.
- Diabetes medicines used in India: what each group does and its common side effects.
- Indian diabetes diet chart: everyday meals that help keep sugar steady.
- All diabetes articles: every Disha guide on diabetes in one place.
- Glycemic index of Indian foods: how quickly common foods raise blood sugar.
