Type 2 Diabetes - What Is It?

One of the most common diseases in America today is Diabetes and it is a disease with serious risks. It's not something you can catch but certain risks factors make you more likely to get it. Let's talk about diabetes some basics and what you can do to control yours.

Diabetes, what is it? When we eat our body turns the food we eat into sugars (glucose) which gives us energy. Without a hormone called Insulin the glucose from food we eat cannot get into the body to be burned. When you have Type 2 diabetes the amount of insulin is affected and the sugars remain in the blood stream where it can cause damage. Without this proper transfer into the cells the sugars can cause unwanted symptoms and damage to eyes, kidneys, blood vessels, nerves, heart and extremities.

What's Type 2 Diabetes? Over 90% of the 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 your body is not producing the needed insulin, it just may not produce enough or your body has become resistant to the insulin you make. Its affects mostly people over 30 years old but may show up in people younger at times.

If your sugars (glucose) reach high levels in your blood (hyperglycemia) and not enough in your cells you may become symptomatic. Symptoms can be you feeling tired, thirsty, sudden weight loss or frequent urination. Many

eople do not show any of these symptoms at all. Rather, they discover 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 in kidney failure, heart disease and the number one cause in adult blindness in America today. Thousands of amputations of legs and toes are performed each year due to some form of diabetes, making diabetes the leading cause for these surgical procedures.

I have Type 2 Diabetes, what can I do? Keeping your blood glucose levels close to normal is important and can be accomplished by eating the right foods, manage you weight as well as maintain an active life style. Keeping your glucose levels in the normal range is the most important thing to do to avoid complications