Nancy, its botanical name is "Beta vulgaris var cicla", so it seems to be a variety of chard. I tried it when I read in a catalog that it was more tender and less crinkly than chard, which I'm not a huge fan of. The stems are thinner and the leaves don't get as big. Sometimes descriptions claim, as they also do of New Zealand Spinach, that it tastes similar to spinach. I think these are exaggerations. Neither do, IMO. This tastes like chard to me, but a bit more delicate. I like it, and have grown it for years.

Just googling it, I came across a research abstract saying that chard has a protective effect on the liver where there's diabetes....

Here is a link that might be useful: effects of chard on rats with diabetes