Type 2 diabetes is one of the 2 main types of diabetes. Diabetes is a problem with the way the body uses digested food for energy. Your body changes the food you eat into sugar. Blood carries the sugar to the cells where it is used for energy. When you have diabetes, sugar cannot get into the cells and stays in the blood instead. This causes high blood sugar. Too much sugar in the blood can damage your blood vessels and organs.
Type 2 diabetes happens when your body does not make enough insulin or is unable to use its own insulin properly. Insulin normally moves the sugar out of the blood and into the cells. It is a hormone made by the pancreas. (The pancreas is a large gland behind the stomach.) Problems with insulin can cause a buildup of sugar in the blood. The inability to use insulin is called insulin resistance.
Too much sugar in the blood can cause many problems. These problems can be life threatening if they are not treated. However, proper treatment can control your blood sugar level and prevent or delay the complications of diabetes.
Many millions of people in the US have diabetes. Most of them have type 2 diabetes. Although type 2 diabetes occurs in all races, it occurs most often among Native Americans, Hispanics, African Americans, and Asian Americans.
The exact cause of type 2 diabetes is not known. Age, weight, lack of exercise, and a high-calorie diet appear to be important factors. As people get older or overweight, they are more likely to have diabetes. Their cells become unable to use the insulin made by the pancreas.
If one or both of your parents have had type 2 diabetes, your chance of having type 2 diabetes is much higher, but it can be prevented.
One of the problems with type 2 diabetes is that it may not cause any symptoms for months or years. If it does cause symptoms you may have:
Most people, however, have no symptoms for months or even years. This is why it is so important to get your blood sugar checked every year or as often as your healthcare provider recommends.
Your healthcare provider will ask about your medical history and your symptoms and examine you. You will have a blood test to check the level of sugar in your blood. Three blood tests can be done to see if you have diabetes:
The goal of treatment is to control the level of sugar in your blood. You want to try to keep the sugar level in a normal range. This is done by:
Blood sugar tests
You will learn how to check your blood sugar at home. You will use a small machine called a blood glucose meter or glucometer to use to test your blood sugar. You will need some lancets and test strips. Lancets are little blades or needles used to prick your finger to get drops of blood for the test strips. Your healthcare provider will tell you when and how often you need to check your blood sugar.
When you are first diagnosed with diabetes you will need to check your blood sugar often. When your diabetes is in better control, your provider will tell you how you can decrease your sugar checks.
Keep a log of your blood sugar measurements. Many glucose meters can keep a record of your recent sugar readings for you inside the meter. Your provider will check the log at your appointments to see how well your treatment is working.
The A1C test can show your average blood sugar control over the past 2 to 3 months. Your healthcare provider may do this test every 3 months to check your overall control of your blood sugar. This is the best way to see if you are keeping your diabetes under control. However, you will still need to do daily blood sugar measurements. Daily checks of your blood sugar show whether your daily treatment plan (diet, exercise, and/or medicine) is working throughout the day.
Your healthcare provider or a dietitian will give you guidelines about foods and daily calories. If you are overweight, eating fewer calories and getting more exercise to lose weight will help you lower your blood sugar. Choosing healthy foods for your diet will help you lose weight and improve your health. Sometimes losing just 7 to 10 pounds can reduce or eliminate your need to take medicine for diabetes.
Physical activity is important in managing type 2 diabetes. Getting enough exercise is all some people need to control their blood sugar. Exercise improves blood flow, uses up more of the sugar in your blood, and helps your body use insulin better. Walking is one of the best exercises you can do. Ask your healthcare provider for exercise recommendations.
If you cannot control your blood sugar with diet and exercise, your healthcare provider may prescribe an oral medicine, like metformin, to lower it. You may need more than 1 type of medicine to keep your blood sugar in a normal range. You may need shots of insulin if diet, exercise, and oral medicines are not keeping your blood sugar levels normal.
When you are using diabetic medicine, you must carefully follow your provider's directions for checking your blood sugar. This will not only help you have good blood sugar control, but it will help keep you from having blood sugar that is too low. Blood sugar that is too low can be life-threatening.
Taking good care of yourself to avoid complications is especially important with diabetes. Diabetes can cause some serious problems, such as heart disease, stroke, blindness, kidney failure, and nerve damage, especially to your feet and legs. Carefully controlling your blood sugar and blood pressure will prevent or delay these complications. Good control of diabetes depends on following the diet and exercise plans prescribed by your healthcare provider to keep your blood sugar in the target range. If your diabetes is not controlled by diet and exercise, it is important to follow the medication plan recommended by your healthcare provider.
Follow your diet plan.
Follow your healthcare provider's advice for physical activity.
Don’t smoke. Smoking speeds up the damage to the heart and blood vessels.
Carefully follow the instructions your healthcare provider has given you for taking prescribed medicine.
Other things you can do are:
Learn about diabetes and its complications so you can make the correct decisions to control your blood-sugar levels. Many hospitals have diabetes educators and dietitians who can help you. Ask your healthcare provider to refer you to these people.
You can get pamphlets and information about diabetes, including diabetic cookbooks, from:
Unlike type 1 diabetes, type 2 can be prevented. Even if there is a history of diabetes in your family, you may be able to avoid having the disease if you:
If you have a family history of diabetes, you should get your blood sugar checked every year.