Diabetes does not suddenly appear. Hence the phrase "diabetes mellitus" or sweet flavored siphoned liquid. What Diabetes Means to You Millions of peoples have diabetes in this country. The name diabetes mellitus has an interesting origin. To test for pre-diabetes, you need to find the blood glucose levels in your bloodstream.

At some point the Ancient Greeks discovered that when certain people drank a lot, the liquids almost immediately left their body in the form of urine - as though it were siphoned from their body. Before diabetes is diagnosed, the body has already begun to manifest changes and symptoms. The word "mellitus" is a Greek word that means sweet.

They further noticed that the urine in these people tasted sweet. Collectively these symptoms are often referred to as pre-diabetes. Researchers have defined a blood glucose level threshold that defines diabetes..

So what were the ancient Greeks doing tasting urine. Remember, this was before the name brand mouthwashes that are so popular today. "Diabetes" is the Greek word for siphon. But even though it's one of our most devastating diseases, and many people have heard about it, not many really know what it is.

They used it as a mouthwash, to prevent the formation of cavities.