Type 2 Diabetes

Diabetes mellitus (DM or, simply, diabetes) refers to a group of diseases that affect how your body uses sugar (glucose). Glucose comes from the foods you eat. Glucose is essential to health because it is an important source of energy for the cells that make up your muscles and tissues and it is the brain's main source of fuel. If you have diabetes, no matter what type, it means you have too much glucose in your blood. Too much glucose can lead to serious health problems, including damage to the eyes, kidneys, and nerves, heart disease, and stroke.

Insulin is a hormone that helps the glucose get into your cells to give them energy. With type 2 diabetes, the more common type of diabetes, your body does not make or use insulin well. Without enough insulin, the glucose stays in your blood. Type 2 diabetes can develop at any age, though it is more common in people older than 40.

A blood test can show if you have type 2 diabetes. Many people can manage their diabetes through healthy eating, physical activity, and blood glucose testing. Some people also need to take diabetes medicines.

In type 2 diabetes, your cells become resistant to the action of insulin, and your pancreas is unable to make enough insulin to overcome this resistance. Instead of moving into your cells where it is needed for energy, sugar builds up in your bloodstream.

Exactly why this happens is uncertain, although it is believed that genetic and environmental factors play a role in the development of type 2 diabetes. Being overweight is strongly linked to the development of type 2 diabetes, but not everyone with type 2 is overweight.

Talk with your pharmacist or doctor about screening if you have increased thirst, frequent urination, fatigue, or risk factors like family history or excess weight. Seek emergency care for very high blood sugar with confusion or vomiting.