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Most people with diabetes - 90 percent to 95 percent - have type 2, once called adult-onset diabetes, according to the National Institutes of Health. It is a chronic condition that affects the way your body metabolizes glucose. Unlike those with type 1, the pancreas secretes insulin, but the body can't use it properly, so it secretes more and more, but can't keep up with the body's demand.
Here are five key points about the disease:
Sources:
National Institutes of Health
Mayo Clinic
American Diabetes Association
Here are five key points about the disease:
- There's no cure for it, but you can manage -- or even prevent -- the condition. Eating healthy foods, exercising and keeping a healthy weight are good starting points. If that doesn't help, you may need medications or insulin therapy to manage your blood sugar.
- People who are overweight are more likely to have insulin resistance because fat interferes with the body's ability to use insulin, but you don't have to be overweight to get it.
- Type 2 diabetes is more common among African-Americans, Latinos, Native Americans and Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders, as well as senior citizens.
- It increases your risk for serious complications including heart disease, blindness, nerve damage and kidney damage.
- Family history and genetics play a large role. Low activity, poor diet and excess body weight (especially around the waist) significantly increase your risk.
Sources:
National Institutes of Health
Mayo Clinic
American Diabetes Association
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