How Sugar Affects Diabetes
- Kidney disease or kidney failure, requiring dialysis
- Strokes
- Heart attacks
- Vision loss or blindness
- A weakened immune system, with a greater chance of infections
- Erectile dysfunction
- Nerve damage, also called neuropathy, that causes tingling, pain, or less sensation in your feet, legs, and hands
- Poor blood flow to the legs and feet
- Slow wound healing and the potential for amputation, in rare cases
Keep your blood sugar levels close to normal to avoid many of these health problems. The American Diabetes Association’s goals for blood sugar control in people with diabetes are 70 to 130 mg/dL before meals, and less than 180 mg/dL after meals.
