"If you keep glucose levels near normal, you reduce the risk of diabetes complications," says Robert Ratner, MD, chief scientific and medical officer of the American Diabetes Association. That's why it's so important to get your blood sugar levels in check. Either way, without proper treatment, toxic amounts of sugar can build up in the bloodstream, wreaking havoc head to toe. Type 2 diabetes means your body doesn't use insulin properly and you can end up with too much or too little insulin. One can of soda a day increases a kid’s chance of being obese by 60 percent and a woman’s chance of type 2 diabetes by 80 percent. People with type 1 diabetes don't make insulin, the hormone needed to ferry sugar from the bloodstream into cells. One 20-ounce soda has 15 teaspoons of sugar Gatorade contains 14 teaspoons of the stuff in one bottle. An excess of glucose in the bloodstream, or hyperglycemia, is a sign of diabetes. A normal reading is below 5.7% for people without diabetes. A blood test called a hemoglobin A1c measures average blood sugar levels over the previous three months. Normal blood-sugar readings typically fall between 60 mg/dl and 140 mg/dl. But when something goes wrong-and cells aren't absorbing the glucose-the resulting high blood sugar damages nerves, blood vessels, and organs, setting the stage for dangerous complications. Blood levels of this energy source ebb and flow naturally, depending what you eat (and how much), as well as when you eat it. Poor circulation and nerve damage can make it hard for your body to heal wounds. You may have developed these if you’ve had uncontrolled (or poorly controlled) diabetes for a long time. Glucose, or sugar, is the fuel that powers cells throughout the body. Many complications can result from inflammation, including abnormal levels of calcium and vitamin D in the blood, as well as suppressed parathyroid hormone. Having high blood sugar (glucose) for a long time can lead to poor circulation and nerve damage.