The Glycemic Index is especially important to those who suffer from diabetes who need to watch their blood glucose. Diabetes have a difficult time breaking down glucose found in many carbohydrates and digesting them normally. This causes kidney and sometimes liver damage The effect of the glycemic index on the body is that it allows people to know which carbohydrates are the ones that can cause the most damage and those that break down easily in the system. Weight control in diabetes management can take many facets. From eating the correct foods and eliminated carbohydrates, particularly those that are high on the Glycemic Index, from your diet, you can not only lose weight, but manage the disease. Exercise is crucial for everyone. It raises our energy level, keeps us active, improves our mental state, is instrumental in treating depression but is essential when managing diabetes. People with Type I and Type II diabetes both suffer from having too much glucose in the blood. As the glucose does not digest normally, it causes problems with the kidneys, liver, eyesight, heart and blood circulation in general. Depending upon the stage of their diabetes, a physician will normally prescribe either medication or insulin. Diabetes can be frightening, particularly for anyone who is not familiar with the disease. We read about complications and insulin and medication and feel hopeless. Many diabetics experience a period of denial when first diagnosed with diabetes. They refuse to believe there is anything wrong with them. The incidents of Type II diabetes has mirrored incidents of obesity in the United States and most in the medical community agree that there is a clear link to obesity and the development of this disease. People with Type II diabetes do not process enough insulin to break down the glucose in their system and cause their kidneys to work overtime in getting rid of the waste. The Glycemic Index determines how long certain carbohydrates take to break down and digest in the system. Those with a high rating, take the longest time to break down and do the most damage to the system of someone with diabetes. The good glycemic foods; that is, those with the lower rates, are more desirable not only for diabetics, but for those who are watching their carbohydrate intake through such diets as the South Beach Diet, they should also be aware of what the good glycemic foods are.