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. Collectively these symptoms are often referred to as pre-diabetes.

Diabetes does not suddenly appear. What Diabetes Means to You Millions of peoples have diabetes in this country. "Diabetes" is the Greek word for siphon. They further noticed that the urine in these people tasted sweet. Hence the phrase "diabetes mellitus" or sweet flavored siphoned liquid.

To test for pre-diabetes, you need to find the blood glucose levels in your bloodstream. So what were the ancient Greeks doing tasting urine. Before diabetes is diagnosed, the body has already begun to manifest changes and symptoms. Researchers have defined a blood glucose level threshold that defines diabetes. The name diabetes mellitus has an interesting origin.

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. The word "mellitus" is a Greek word that means sweet. Remember, this was before the name brand mouthwashes that are so popular today.

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