Type 2 Diabetes

Diabetes affects nearly 21 million Americans. 90% to 95% of all people diagnosed with the disease have Type 2 diabetes. Type 2 affects the body's ability to use the Insulin that is produced. 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.

In Type 2 diabetes, the cells become resistant to the action of the insulin and the glucose stays in the blood instead of going into the cells. This creates several problems. The cells can't get enough glucose to make energy for the body. When glucose levels in the blood become too high, damage to nerves and blood vessels happens, mainly in the feet, hands, kidneys and eyes, although problems can occur in other parts of the body as well. Other complications include heart disease and stroke.

Unlike Type 1 diabetes, Type 2 can sometimes be turned around with weight loss, a healthy diet and exercise, and perhaps Oral Medications, which help the glucose, leave the blood and become processed by the cells. Insulin injections are also sometimes used depending on how resistant the cells are to the body's own insulin.

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. Type 2 can also run in families and is more common in the African American, Native American and Latino populations.

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.