What is type 2 diabetes?

Type 2 diabetes is a lifelong disease that happens when the cells of the body can't use insulin the right way or when the pancreas can't make enough insulin. Insulin lets blood sugar�also called glucose�enter the body�s cells to be used for energy. When insulin is not able to do its job, the cells can't get the sugar they need, and too much sugar builds up in the blood. Over time, this extra sugar in the blood can damage your eyes, heart, blood vessels, nerves, and kidneys.

More and more adults and children are getting type 2 diabetes. This is largely because of bad eating habits and a lack of physical activity. It is important to know if you or your children are at risk for type 2 diabetes and to know what you can do to help prevent the disease.

What causes type 2 diabetes?

You can get type 2 diabetes if:

• Your body does not respond as it should to insulin. This makes it hard for your cells to get sugar from the blood for energy. This is called insulin resistance.
• Your pancreas< does not make enough insulin.

Your weight, how active you are, and your family history all affect the way your body responds to insulin. If you are overweight, get little or no exercise, or have family members with diabetes, you have a greater chance of getting type 2 diabetes.

What are the symptoms?

Some people don't have symptoms, especially when diabetes is diagnosed early. This is because the blood sugar level may rise so slowly that a person may not know that anything is wrong. Other people may have symptoms, such as:

• Being very thirsty.
• Urinating a lot.
• Losing weight without trying.
• Having blurry vision.
• Feeling hungrier or more tired than usual.

Sometimes a person finds out that he or she has type 2 diabetes during a regular medical checkup. Or people may find out that they have the disease during an appointment for another health problem such as high blood pressure, an infection, or a wound that heals slowly. Some people don't find out that they have diabetes until they have a complication from the disease, such as vision problems, kidney disease, nerve disease, or heart and blood vessel problems.

How is type 2 diabetes diagnosed?

If your doctor thinks that you have type 2 diabetes, he or she will ask you questions about your medical history, do a physical exam, and order a blood glucose test. A blood glucose test is a blood test that measures the amount of sugar in your blood. The test is usually done first thing in the morning, before you eat or drink anything.

How is it treated?

The key to treating type 2 diabetes is controlling blood sugar levels. All of the following help to lower blood sugar:

• Eating healthy foods
• Losing weight, if you are overweight
• Getting regular exercise
• In some cases, taking medicines

Treatment for diabetes also includes checking blood sugar levels to make sure that the disease is under control. It is important to watch for signs of high and low blood sugar. Both can cause problems and need to be treated.

People with diabetes need regular checkups to make sure that the treatment is working and that they do not get more serious health problems.

Can type 2 diabetes be prevented?

If you are at risk for type 2 diabetes or if you have prediabetes, you may prevent diabetes by getting regular exercise and paying attention to what and how much you eat. If you are overweight, losing a little weight (10 to 20 pounds) can go a long way toward preventing or delaying the disease.

What Increases Your Risk

There are some things that you cannot change that increase your chances of getting type 2 diabetes:

Risk factors that you cannot control include:

• Family history. If you have a parent, brother, or sister who has type 2 diabetes, you have a greater chance of developing the disease.
• Age. The risk for getting prediabetes and type 2 diabetes increases with age. The American Diabetes Association estimates that over 40 million Americans age 40 to 74 have prediabetes. And the number of children being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes is increasing. Usually, children who get type 2 diabetes have a family history of the disease, are overweight, and are physically inactive.
• Race and ethnicity. African Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans, Asian Americans, and Pacific Islanders are at higher risk than whites for type 2 diabetes.
• History of gestational diabetes or having a baby weighing more than 9 lb (4 kg). Women who have had gestational diabetes or who have had a large baby are at higher risk for developing type 2 diabetes later in life.
• Low birth weight. People who weighed less than 5.5 lb (2.5 kg) at birth are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes later in life.

There are some things you can do to reduce your chances of getting diabetes or reduce your chances of developing complications from diabetes:

• Lose weight. Your risk for type 2 diabetes increases as your weight (or body mass index, BMI) increases. Your risk also increases if most of your body fat is in your belly area. Reaching and staying at a healthy body weight can reduce your risk.
• Get more exercise. The less you exercise, the greater your risk of developing type 2 diabetes. People who do moderate exercise for at least 30 minutes on most or all days of the week have a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
• Eat foods that are good for you. Eating a lot of sugary foods, red meat, soft drinks, and fast food can increase your risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Eating whole grains, nuts, and vegetables can decrease your risk.
• Quit smoking. This change may reduce your chance of having complications from diabetes.
• Get treatment if you have prediabetes. If your fasting blood sugar levels are in the range from 100 mg/dL to 125 mg/dL, you are at increased risk for developing type 2 diabetes.
• Get treatment if you have high blood pressure (hypertension). People who have blood pressure levels above 140/90 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) are at greater risk for type 2 diabetes than people who have blood pressure below 140/90.
• Get treatment if you have high cholesterol. People who have high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels of 35 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) or less, or triglyceride levels of 250 mg/dL or more are at higher risk of developing complications from type 2 diabetes.

Other conditions that put you at risk for type 2 diabetes�and that are also linked to obesity and a lack of physical activity�include:

• Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), a hormone imbalance that interferes with normal ovulation.
• Metabolic syndrome, a group of abnormal physical findings related to the body's metabolism.

If you are concerned about diabetes, you can take a test to determine your risk of getting the disease. If you are at risk, you can discuss with your doctor how to make healthy changes in your life. If you want, your doctor can refer you to health professionals who are trained to help you make your own easy-to-follow plan for eating and exercising. No matter how and when you start, it is important to remember that even small changes can lower your chances of developing diabetes.

What is type 2 diabetes?

Type 2 diabetes is a lifelong disease that happens when the cells of the body can't use insulin the right way or when the pancreas can't make enough insulin. Insulin lets blood sugar�also called glucose�enter the body�s cells to be used for energy. When insulin is not able to do its job, the cells can't get the sugar they need, and too much sugar builds up in the blood. Over time, this extra sugar in the blood can damage your eyes, heart, blood vessels, nerves, and kidneys.

More and more adults and children are getting type 2 diabetes. This is largely because of bad eating habits and a lack of physical activity. It is important to know if you or your children are at risk for type 2 diabetes and to know what you can do to help prevent the disease.

What causes type 2 diabetes?

You can get type 2 diabetes if:

• Your body does not respond as it should to insulin. This makes it hard for your cells to get sugar from the blood for energy. This is called insulin resistance.
• Your pancreas< does not make enough insulin.

Your weight, how active you are, and your family history all affect the way your body responds to insulin. If you are overweight, get little or no exercise, or have family members with diabetes, you have a greater chance of getting type 2 diabetes.

What are the symptoms?

Some people don't have symptoms, especially when diabetes is diagnosed early. This is because the blood sugar level may rise so slowly that a person may not know that anything is wrong. Other people may have symptoms, such as:

• Being very thirsty.
• Urinating a lot.
• Losing weight without trying.
• Having blurry vision.
• Feeling hungrier or more tired than usual.

Sometimes a person finds out that he or she has type 2 diabetes during a regular medical checkup. Or people may find out that they have the disease during an appointment for another health problem such as high blood pressure, an infection, or a wound that heals slowly. Some people don't find out that they have diabetes until they have a complication from the disease, such as vision problems, kidney disease, nerve disease, or heart and blood vessel problems.

How is type 2 diabetes diagnosed?

If your doctor thinks that you have type 2 diabetes, he or she will ask you questions about your medical history, do a physical exam, and order a blood glucose test. A blood glucose test is a blood test that measures the amount of sugar in your blood. The test is usually done first thing in the morning, before you eat or drink anything.

How is it treated?

The key to treating type 2 diabetes is controlling blood sugar levels. All of the following help to lower blood sugar:

• Eating healthy foods
• Losing weight, if you are overweight
• Getting regular exercise
• In some cases, taking medicines

Treatment for diabetes also includes checking blood sugar levels to make sure that the disease is under control. It is important to watch for signs of high and low blood sugar. Both can cause problems and need to be treated.

People with diabetes need regular checkups to make sure that the treatment is working and that they do not get more serious health problems.

Can type 2 diabetes be prevented?

If you are at risk for type 2 diabetes or if you have prediabetes, you may prevent diabetes by getting regular exercise and paying attention to what and how much you eat. If you are overweight, losing a little weight (10 to 20 pounds) can go a long way toward preventing or delaying the disease.

What Increases Your Risk

There are some things that you cannot change that increase your chances of getting type 2 diabetes:

Risk factors that you cannot control include:

• Family history. If you have a parent, brother, or sister who has type 2 diabetes, you have a greater chance of developing the disease.
• Age. The risk for getting prediabetes and type 2 diabetes increases with age. The American Diabetes Association estimates that over 40 million Americans age 40 to 74 have prediabetes. And the number of children being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes is increasing. Usually, children who get type 2 diabetes have a family history of the disease, are overweight, and are physically inactive.
• Race and ethnicity. African Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans, Asian Americans, and Pacific Islanders are at higher risk than whites for type 2 diabetes.
• History of gestational diabetes or having a baby weighing more than 9 lb (4 kg). Women who have had gestational diabetes or who have had a large baby are at higher risk for developing type 2 diabetes later in life.
• Low birth weight. People who weighed less than 5.5 lb (2.5 kg) at birth are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes later in life.

There are some things you can do to reduce your chances of getting diabetes or reduce your chances of developing complications from diabetes:

• Lose weight. Your risk for type 2 diabetes increases as your weight (or body mass index, BMI) increases. Your risk also increases if most of your body fat is in your belly area. Reaching and staying at a healthy body weight can reduce your risk.
• Get more exercise. The less you exercise, the greater your risk of developing type 2 diabetes. People who do moderate exercise for at least 30 minutes on most or all days of the week have a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
• Eat foods that are good for you. Eating a lot of sugary foods, red meat, soft drinks, and fast food can increase your risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Eating whole grains, nuts, and vegetables can decrease your risk.
• Quit smoking. This change may reduce your chance of having complications from diabetes.
• Get treatment if you have prediabetes. If your fasting blood sugar levels are in the range from 100 mg/dL to 125 mg/dL, you are at increased risk for developing type 2 diabetes.
• Get treatment if you have high blood pressure (hypertension). People who have blood pressure levels above 140/90 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) are at greater risk for type 2 diabetes than people who have blood pressure below 140/90.
• Get treatment if you have high cholesterol. People who have high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels of 35 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) or less, or triglyceride levels of 250 mg/dL or more are at higher risk of developing complications from type 2 diabetes.

Other conditions that put you at risk for type 2 diabetes�and that are also linked to obesity and a lack of physical activity�include:

• Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), a hormone imbalance that interferes with normal ovulation.
• Metabolic syndrome, a group of abnormal physical findings related to the body's metabolism.

If you are concerned about diabetes, you can take a test to determine your risk of getting the disease. If you are at risk, you can discuss with your doctor how to make healthy changes in your life. If you want, your doctor can refer you to health professionals who are trained to help you make your own easy-to-follow plan for eating and exercising. No matter how and when you start, it is important to remember that even small changes can lower your chances of developing diabetes.

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