Normally, the pancreas makes the hormone, insulin, to help the body store and use the sugars and starches that you eat. Diabetes develops when the pancreas does not make enough insulin, or the cells in your body become  resistant to insulin, Insulin usually keeps a tight control on blood sugar levels. People with diabetes have blood sugar levels that high and need to be through diet, medication, and lifestyle changes. Diabetes affects your digestive health as a result of poor nutrition and uncontrolled blood sugar levels.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is the name for a group of disorders that affect primarily the intestines. The two major types of chronic IBD include Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Crohn’s disease can affect any part of the GI tract from the mouth to the anus whereas ulcerative colitis is usually to the colon. With both diseases, patients can experience similar symptoms including diarrhea, abdominal pain, bloody stools, weight loss and fatigue. Symptoms outside the GI tract can also occur such as arthritis, skin lesions or even eye problems. IBD is thought as a primarily autoimmune disease.