Type2 diabetes is the most common type of diabetes mellitus. According to the 2011 National Diabetes Fact Sheet, 25.8 million children and adults in the United States have diabetes. That accounts for 8.3% of the population. Ninety percent of the people in the world with diabetes have type2 diabetes. Statistics also show that diabetes contributed to 231,404 deaths in 2007.
As you can see, diabetes is an epidemic not only in the United States, but throughout the world. Many cases of diabetes can be prevented or at least delayed with regular exercise and a healthy diet. The more people know about this condition, the more likely they are to begin making lifestyle choices that can help them avoid this horrible disease.
What is Type2 Diabetes?
Insulin is a hormone which is needed to move blood sugar (glucose) into the cells so that it can be converted into energy. Type2 diabetes is a disease in which the cells of the body do not respond to insulin correctly. This is called insulin resistance. Since sugar cannot enter the cells efficiently, it builds up in the bloodstream and the excess sugar causes harm to the body over time.
Symptoms of Type2 Diabetes
People with type2 diabetes may not have any symptoms at first. Most of the symptomsof type2 diabetes are easily overlooked. In fact, it is estimated that 7 million people in the United States are still undiagnosed. It is easy to recognize the symptoms of diabetes if you know what to look for. Type2 diabetes systems are as follows:
- Frequent urination
- Excess thirst
- Extreme hunger
- Unexplained weight loss
- Blurred vision
- Fatigue
The Difference between Type1 and Type 2 Diabetes
Many people ask the question “What’s the difference between type1 and type2 diabetes?” The major difference is the underlying cause. As stated above, type2 diabetes is caused by insulin resistance. Their body can produce insulin, but their body does not utilize the insulin because the cells are “resistant” to it. In type1 diabetes, the pancreas does not produce insulin. Sometimes this is due to an injury to the pancreas, but in most cases it is due to an autoimmune condition in which the body’s own immune system destroys the cells in the pancreas that make insulin. So, type1 diabetics are completely dependent on medical insulin. Scientists are still unsure why this occurs, but they think it is caused by a combination of environmental and genetic factors.
