Type 2 Diabetes
In type 2 diabetes, your body may still make insulin, but is unable to effectively use the insulin it does make (insulin resistance). Eventually the body doesn't make enough insulin (insulin deficiency). Type 2 used to be called "non-insulin dependent diabetes." People who have it can be treated with proper meal planning, exercise, and medications. Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes and accounts for at least nine out of ten cases. Although it can occur in younger people, it most often begins when people are over 45 years of age.
Some people are more prone to diabetes.
- The tendency to develop type 2 diabetes is inherited (present at birth)
- It does not always come from being too heavy
- It is not caused by eating too much sugar
Causes of type 2 diabetes
No one knows the exact cause of type 2 diabetes. We do know that it is more likely to occur in people who have certain risk factors, such as older age, obesity, family history of type 2 diabetes, and race/ethnicity (African American, Hispanic/Latino American, American Indian, Asian American, or Pacific Islander).1
Reference
1. ADA National Diabetes Fact Sheet, 2005. Available at . Accessed March 17, 2008.
