In type 2 diabetes, your pancreas can't make enough insulin to get the sugar from food into your body's cells. So the sugar stays in the bloodstream, starving your cells of energy. Over time, this can lead to severe problems. Learn everything about type 2 diabetes in this article.
Type 2 diabetes can lead to severe problems with your heart and blood vessels
What is Type 2 Diabetes?
Type 2 Diabetes is a long-term condition in which your blood sugar (glucose) levels are too high. Glucose is your body's leading energy source and comes from your food. Insulin, a hormone, helps glucose get into cells to be used as fuel. When you have type 2 diabetes, your cells resist the action of insulin or don't use it properly, so too much glucose stays in the blood.
It's the most common form of diabetes. People of middle age or older are most likely to develop it, but it can start in kids and teens, too. It's also sometimes called adult-onset diabetes, but that's misleading because it can develop at any age.
Over time, uncontrolled diabetes can lead to severe problems with your heart and blood vessels, eyes, kidneys, and nerves. It can also increase your risk for other health problems, including cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, and abnormal cholesterol levels. You can reduce your risk for these problems by following a healthy eating plan low in fat, salt, and sugar.
Causes and Risk Factors
Being overweight or obese is a significant risk factor for developing diabetes. A person's risk increases with fat stored around the abdomen (tummy). Being physically inactive or being 'sedentary' means spending long periods sitting down, which can also increase your risk of diabetes.
Some people are at higher risk of developing diabetes if they develop gestational diabetes during pregnancy or have a family history of diabetes. High blood pressure and low HDL or "good" cholesterol can also increase the risk of developing diabetes.
People can reduce their chances of developing diabetes by following a healthy eating plan and being active. It is crucial to remember that some factors like age and family history can't be changed. Still, a person can work to control other risk factors such as weight, blood pressure, cholesterol, and insulin resistance through lifestyle changes and medication.
How does Type 2 Diabetes Work?
People with type 2 diabetes have difficulty using glucose (sugar) from food for energy. When we eat, carbohydrates break down into glucose, which enters the bloodstream and goes up. Insulin tells cells to open up and let the glucose in to be used as energy. But people with type 2 diabetes can develop insulin resistance, which means it no longer has the same effect.
People with diabetes are at higher risk of developing heart disease and stroke because high blood sugar can lead to artery blockages. This is especially true for those with type 2 diabetes who also have metabolic syndrome, which includes high blood pressure and cholesterol, excess weight, and high triglycerides.
Symptoms and Diagnosis
Some people may have no symptoms; in other cases, they can be misdiagnosed. This happens especially in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. It is often only diagnosed by blood tests, which reveal high blood sugar levels (hyperglycemia).
Blood test results show that your body's cells don't respond to insulin normally. This is known as insulin resistance. Insulin helps drive glucose into cells for energy, but when your body resists, glucose builds up in the bloodstream, and your cells are starved of energy.
If blood sugar levels get high enough, symptoms can appear. These can include frequent urination, thirst, and excessive sweating. They can also cause changes in the eyes' lenses, which may result in vision problems.
Management and Treatment
Your doctor can help you manage your diabetes with lifestyle changes and medicines. This includes eating healthy, exercising moderately, and losing weight if you're overweight. It also means recognizing early symptoms of low blood sugar, like shakiness or dizziness, and treating them.
Other medications may treat other health problems affecting people with diabetes, such as high blood pressure and cholesterol. Your doctor might also prescribe metformin, which lowers glucose production in the liver and improves the body's sensitivity to insulin.
Social factors, such as difficulty paying for food, medications, and monitoring supplies, can affect self-management and health outcomes. Education staff can address these issues and provide information about available resources. They can also facilitate shared decision-making to support patients' preferences and values.
Complications and Prevention
Managing diabetes well helps prevent or delay severe complications of the disease. These include problems with the heart, blood vessels, and nerves. It can also lead to eye problems and vision loss and cause kidney damage. It can also affect the skin, and people with diabetes are more likely to have foot and leg problems. It can also cause problems in the brain and nervous system, such as depression and dementia.
Some of these complications can be prevented by following a healthy diet, being physically active, and losing weight. In addition, regular checkups are essential. This includes a yearly exam and eye, kidney, and nerve damage screening. People with type 2 diabetes should see their doctor two to four times a year for treatment and management.
Support and Resources
Various programs are available to help people with type 2 diabetes. These include support groups, classes, and online resources. Choosing the right group depends on an individual's needs and goals. Some support groups are online, and others meet in person. Some also offer a combination of in-person and online meetings.
The National Diabetes Prevention Program offers a lifestyle change program that can prevent or delay type 2 diabetes and heart disease. CDC provides healthcare providers and community-based organizations with tools to promote this program and refer patients.
The ADA recommends regular A1c testing, oral medications or insulin therapy, and daily physical activity to improve blood sugar control. They also suggest reducing saturated and trans fat, limiting salt, and reducing sugary drinks. The ADA recommends eating fish, poultry, skinless chicken, nuts, beans, and whole grains to lower cholesterol. They may also prescribe statins, a class of drugs that lowers cholesterol. Other necessary steps are avoiding smoking and being physically active. For more information, check out the ADA's Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support (DSMES) toolkit.
The Bottom Line
Many people can prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes by adopting healthy lifestyle practices. These include eating a diet that is low in fat and high in fiber and exercising regularly. It is also essential to maintain a healthy weight and manage stress levels.
Prevention of type 2 diabetes may help reduce the risk of complications such as heart disease, stroke, blindness, and kidney disease. Several major randomized controlled trials, including the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP), have shown that intensive lifestyle and behavioral interventions can significantly reduce the development of type 2 diabetes and improve other cardiometabolic risk factors.
A few key things to remember about managing your diet are to avoid sugary drinks and foods, especially those with added sugar, such as soda, candy, and ice cream. Choose foods that are higher in fiber, such as whole grains, beans, peas and lentils, oats, nuts, seeds, fruits, and vegetables. And swap saturated fats such as ghee, butter, and fatty meat for unsaturated fats like olive oil and canola oil.
