Type 2 diabetes is a chronic condition that affects how your body metabolizes sugar (glucose). With type 2 diabetes, your body either doesn’t produce enough insulin or it resists the effects of insulin.
When diabetes is uncontrolled, excessive amounts of glucose build up in the bloodstream instead of being absorbed by cells. Over time, this can lead to serious health complications affecting the eyes, kidneys, nerves, heart and other organs.
While type 2 diabetes was previously considered an adult disease, it is becoming more common in children and teens due to rising obesity rates. Type 2 diabetes typically develops gradually as insulin resistance builds over years.
In this article, we shall fully explore this health condition and provide answers to important questions like what type 2 diabetes is all about, what the symptoms are, and how to manage the condition.
Let’s get started!
What is Type 2 Diabetes?
Type 2 diabetes is a metabolic disorder resulting from the body’s inability to properly use or produce enough insulin. Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas that allows glucose from the foods you eat to enter the body’s cells and be used for energy.
In type 2 diabetes, the cells become resistant to insulin’s effects. The pancreas tries to compensate by producing more insulin, but over time it can’t make enough to keep blood sugar levels in the normal range. As a result, glucose builds up in the bloodstream instead of fueling the cells.
This process tends to develop gradually over many years, often worsening as a result of lack of physical activity and excess weight gain. Type 2 diabetes typically appears in adulthood, unlike type 1 diabetes which is an autoimmune disease appearing in childhood.
What Causes Type 2 Diabetes?
Type 2 diabetes develops when the body becomes resistant to insulin and/or the pancreas stops producing enough insulin to regulate blood sugar levels. Experts believe type 2 diabetes is caused by a combination of genetic and lifestyle factors.
Genetic Causes
While type 2 diabetes isn’t directly inherited, having close family members with the disease increases your risk. Researchers have identified certain genes that may make some people more susceptible to developing diabetes.
Lifestyle Causes
Being overweight or obese is the leading risk factor for type 2 diabetes. Excess weight, especially fat around the abdomen, makes cells more resistant to the effects of insulin. A sedentary lifestyle with little physical activity also increases the risk.
Other potential causes and risk factors include:
- Poor diet high in calories, saturated fats, and carbohydrates
- Increasing age
- High blood pressure
- Abnormal cholesterol levels
- History of gestational diabetes or giving birth to a baby over 9 pounds
- Smoking
Many of these risk factors are controllable through diet, exercise, weight loss, and other healthy lifestyle changes.
How to Recognize the Symptoms of Type 2 Diabetes
Type 2 diabetes often develops gradually with milder symptoms that can go unnoticed for years. Learning to recognize the warning signs is important for getting timely testing and treatment.
Common symptoms of type 2 diabetes include:
- Increased thirst and frequent urination: High blood sugar levels cause fluids to be pulled from tissues, making you thirsty. The kidneys try to excrete the excess sugar, leading to more urination.
- Increased hunger: Without the ability to utilize sugar properly, cells become starved for energy, signaling hunger.
- Fatigue: Without adequate fuel getting to cells, the body lacks energy.
- Blurred vision: Fluid can be pulled from the lenses of the eyes, impairing ability to focus.
- Slow healing of cuts/bruises: High blood sugar impairs circulation and healing.
- Tingling or numbness in the hands/feet: Excess sugar can injure nerves, especially in the extremities.
- Unintended weight loss: Despite increasing hunger, the body can’t get adequate energy into the cells.
Other symptoms like irritability, recurrent infections, and erectile dysfunction can also occur. If you experience any of these issues persistently, it’s important to get checked for diabetes. An early diagnosis greatly increases treatment success.
How Do Health Providers Test for Type 2 Diabetes?
If you are experiencing potential symptoms of diabetes or have risk factors, your health care provider may order one or more of the following screening tests:
Glycated Hemoglobin (A1C) Test
This blood test shows your average blood sugar level over the past 2 to 3 months. An A1C level of 6.5 percent or higher indicates diabetes.
Fasting Plasma Glucose (FPG) Test
This measures your blood sugar levels after fasting (not eating or drinking) for at least 8 hours. A fasting glucose level of 126 mg/dL or higher suggests diabetes.
Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT)
For this test, you’ll fast overnight and have your blood sugar level measured first thing in the morning. Then you’ll drink a sweet liquid and your blood sugar will be tested periodically for 2 hours. A 2-hour blood sugar level of 200 mg/dL or higher indicates diabetes.
Random Blood Sugar Test
A random blood sugar measurement of 200 mg/dL or higher, combined with symptoms of diabetes, could lead to a diagnosis.
Your doctor may order just one test or combine several types of tests to determine if you have diabetes. Testing is recommended annually if you have risk factors like obesity, family history, or other health conditions.
Does Type 2 Diabetes Go Away on Its Own?
Unlike some medical conditions, type 2 diabetes is a chronic disease that does not go away on its own once it has developed.
The genes, lifestyle factors, and defects in insulin production or utilization that contribute to type 2 diabetes are still present even if blood sugar levels temporarily decrease.
However, it is possible for some people with type 2 diabetes to achieve temporary remission by losing a substantial amount of weight through diet, exercise, and other lifestyle changes.
Losing around 30-60 pounds can help restore the body’s ability to manage blood sugar levels without medication for a period of time.
But this does not mean the diabetes is permanently cured or eliminated. For most people, type 2 diabetes is a lifelong condition that requires ongoing management. If weight regain occurs, the body’s inability to regulate insulin and blood sugars will likely return.
Medication may be able to temporarily control blood sugar levels, but stopping medication based on good numbers alone often leads to a rise in blood glucose again soon after. The underlying condition persists.
While remission is possible for some, it requires long-term lifestyle adjustments to diet, exercise, and weight maintenance. Most people with type 2 diabetes need to continue monitoring blood sugar, taking medication as prescribed, and pursuing healthy self-care habits to manage their diabetes permanently.
Managing Type 2 Diabetes
While type 2 diabetes is a chronic condition, it can be effectively managed through a combination of lifestyle changes, medication, and careful monitoring.
Keeping blood sugar levels in a healthy range is essential for preventing or delaying the onset of complications like nerve damage, kidney disease, vision loss, and heart disease.
Making healthy lifestyle choices is the cornerstone of type 2 diabetes management. Here are some changes to consider:
1. Healthy Eating Plan
Work with a dietitian to create a balanced meal plan focused on fiber-rich foods, lean protein, healthy fats, fruits and vegetables. Limit saturated fats, refined carbs, and sugary foods/beverages.
2. Weight Loss
Losing 5-10% of body weight can significantly improve insulin sensitivity and blood sugar control. Combine a healthy diet with regular physical activity.
3. Exercise
Aim for 30-60 minutes of moderate activity like brisk walking most days of the week. Exercise helps control weight and improves insulin sensitivity.
4. Medication
Metformin is usually the first medication prescribed to help control blood sugar levels along with lifestyle changes.
5. Monitoring
Check blood sugar levels regularly with a home glucose meter. Your doctor will also use an A1C test to measure average levels over 2-3 months.
Type 2 Diabetes in Children and Teenagers
Previously considered an adult disease, type 2 diabetes is becoming more prevalent in youth due to rising obesity rates. This is extremely concerning as it puts children at risk for developing diabetes complications at an early age.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that over 30 million children and adolescents in the United States are obese – a major risk factor for type 2 diabetes. Among adolescents aged 12-19 years old, around 1 in 300 have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.
Obesity and inactivity are driving forces behind the rise in childhood diabetes cases. Type 2 diabetes in youth disproportionately affects certain racial and ethnic minority groups including African Americans, Hispanic/Latino Americans, American Indians, and Pacific Islanders.
The symptoms of type 2 diabetes in kids are similar to those in adults and may include increased thirst and urination, fatigue, blurred vision, dark skin areas, and recurrent infections. However, many children show no symptoms initially when blood sugars are mildly elevated.
Due to the increase in childhood obesity, experts recommend screening children aged 10 years or older who are overweight or obese and have at least two other risk factors like family history or signs of insulin resistance.
Preventing childhood obesity through healthy lifestyle habits like balanced nutrition and physical activity is key to reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes in youth. Manage your child’s risk factors early through diet and exercise to avoid this chronic, life-altering disease.
Conclusion
Type 2 diabetes is a serious, life-long condition that can lead to many other health complications if left unmanaged. However making healthy lifestyle choices, maintaining a balanced diet, exercising regularly, and losing weight if overweight or obese can significantly reduce your risk of developing type 2 diabetes in the first place.
For those already diagnosed, sticking to your treatment plan is essential for keeping blood sugar levels under control and preventing diabetes-related issues like nerve damage, kidney disease, vision loss, and cardiovascular problems down the road.
Take your health into your own hands today. If you are experiencing potential symptoms of type 2 diabetes such as increased thirst, frequent urination, fatigue, or blurred vision, don’t wait – schedule an appointment to get screened by your doctor.
Our team of experts at C. W. Williams Community Health Center, provides comprehensive, personalized diabetes care. From education on nutrition and lifestyle changes to insulin therapy and continuous glucose monitoring, we offer the full range of treatment options tailored to your needs.
Make an appointment at one of our convenient locations today and take positive steps to prevent or manage type 2 diabetes.
