Type 2 Diabetes – What is it?

One of the most common diseases in the United States today is Diabetes and it is a disease with serious risks. It’s not something you can get, but certain risk factors increase your chances of getting it. Let’s talk about diabetes, some basics and what you can do to control yours.

Diabetes, what is it? When we eat, our bodies convert the food we eat into sugars (glucose) that give us energy. Without a hormone called insulin, glucose from the food we eat cannot enter the body to be burned. When you have type 2 diabetes, the amount of insulin is affected and the sugars stay in the bloodstream, where they can cause damage. Without this proper transfer to cells, sugars can cause unwanted symptoms and damage to the eyes, kidneys, blood vessels, nerves, heart, and limbs.

What is type 2 diabetes? More than 90% of people with diabetes have type 2. Called adult-onset diabetes or non-insulin dependent diabetes, it is one of the three main types of diabetes. Type 2 diabetes does not mean that your body is not making enough insulin, it just may not be making enough or that your body has become resistant to the insulin it does make. It mainly affects people over the age of 30, but can sometimes appear in younger people.

If your sugars (glucose) reach high levels in your blood (hyperglycemia) and there are not enough of them in your cells, you may have symptoms. Symptoms may include feeling tired, thirsty, sudden weight loss, or frequent urination. Many people do not show any of these symptoms at all. Rather, they find out they have type 2 diabetes while seeing their doctor for an infection that won’t heal or having their eyes examined. In fact, type 2 diabetes is a leading cause of kidney failure, heart disease, and the number one cause of blindness in adults in the United States today. Thousands of leg and toe amputations are performed each year due to some form of diabetes, making diabetes the leading cause of these surgical procedures.