Type 2 Diabetes is by far the most common type of the disease accounting for 90-95% of all cases. The American Diabetes Association (ADA) estimates that 21 million Americans have diabetes and that only two thirds of them even know it. Type 2 starts in middle age or later. It is growing so rapidly because of the epidemic in obesity not only in the US but all over the world. There is no cure but there is plenty you can do to prevent it and then control it.
Type 2 is a chronic condition that affects the way your body metabolizes sugar the main source of fuel. When people eat food, it is broken down into a sugar known as glucose, which is then released into the blood where it is carried to cells inside the body. Insulin is made by the pancreas to help the cells use the glucose from the blood.
People with Type 2 Diabetes have insulin resistance which prevents insulin from processing glucose properly. Soon more and more insulin is produced to overcome the resistance. During the later stages of the disease as the resistance increases, the blood glucose increases to above safe levels, but the body can't use it properly and the body actually starves for more energy.
If left untreated and again most people don't know they have it, disastrous results are sure to come. It increases risk for eye, nerve, blood vessel, heart, and kidney problems.
Many people diagnosed with Type 2 are obese and have a sedentary lifestyle. Just getting older is also a risk factor, because as we age our resistance to insulin can rise too. 21 percent of people over 60 have diabetes-a scary statistic!!
The most important thing to remember, if you are diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes is that it is possible to control your diabetes instead of letting it control you. But it is in your hands.
Reference:Jack Krohn , DIABETES
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