There are two types of diabetes

Type 1 often develops in childhood as the consequence of a pancreas that doesn’t produce insulin.

Type 2 affects 90% of diabetes patients and occurs when the body becomes resistant to insulin and stops metabolising glucose. Instead of being stored in the liver, the glucose stays in the blood, travels around your body and wrecks everything.

Genetics does play a part in type 2 diabetes; like obesity, you can be predisposed to it. But mostly it’s a byproduct of modern sugar and flour refining. Our bodies were designed to convert energy from metabolised fruit fructose, not family-sized blocks of chocolate.

Glucose, once ingested – preferably through fruit and vegetables, though more often in the form of refined sugar – is controlled by hormones, chiefly insulin. The pancreas assesses the body’s energy needs and releases insulin to store the excess glucose in the liver. A well-tempered pancreas keeps the body running smoothly, whereas a dysfunctional pancreas can cause sudden drops in glucose levels that lead to hypoglycaemia and hypoglycaemic shock, which is thankfully now quite rare. A dysfunctional pancreas also leads to high levels of glucose in the blood, hence the syrup effect.