What Is Type 2 Diabetes?

There are two major types of diabetes: type 1 and type 2. Each type causes high blood sugar levels in a different way.
In type 1 diabetes, the pancreas can't make insulin. The body can still get glucose from food, but the glucose can't get into the cells, where it's needed, and glucose stays in the blood. This makes the blood sugar level very high.
With type 2 diabetes, a person's body still produces insulin. But a person with type 2 diabetes doesn't respond normally to the insulin the body makes. So glucose is less able to enter the cells and do its job of supplying energy.
When glucose can't enter the cells in this way, doctors call it insulin resistance. Although there's plenty of insulin in the person's body, because it doesn't work properly, the pancreas still detects high blood sugar levels. This makes the pancreas produce even more insulin.
The pancreas may eventually wear out from working overtime to produce extra insulin. When this happens, it may no longer be able to produce enough insulin to keep a person's blood sugar levels where they should be. In general, when someone's blood sugar levels are repeatedly high, it's a sign that he or she has diabetes.
Sometimes people with type 2 diabetes take pills that help the insulin in their bodies work better. Some people with type 2 diabetes also need insulin shots or an insulin pump to control their diabetes.

Who Gets Type 2 Diabetes?

What makes people more likely to develop type 2 diabetes? No one knows for sure. But experts have a few ideas about what puts a person at greater risk:

Most people who have type 2 diabetes are overweight. In the past, it was mainly overweight adults who got type 2 diabetes. Today, doctors are finding that more kids and teens are developing type 2 diabetes, probably because more kids and teens are overweight.

People with family members who have diabetes get diabetes more often. Also, people from Native American, African American, Hispanic/Latino, or Asian/Pacific Island backgrounds are also more likely to get type 2 diabetes.

People who are older than 10 are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than younger kids. This is probably because the extra hormones our bodies produce during puberty may make some people more insulin resistant.

How Do People Know if They Have It?

People who have type 2 diabetes may not know it because the symptoms aren't always obvious and they can take a long time to develop. Some people don't have any symptoms at all.

But when a person gets type 2 diabetes, he or she may:

pee a lot because the body tries to get rid of the extra blood sugar by passing it out of the body in the urine
drink a lot to make up for all that peeing
feel tired all the time because the body can't use sugar for energy properly
Also, people whose bodies are having problems using insulin or who are overweight may notice a dark ring around their necks that doesn't wash off. They may see thick, dark, velvety skin under the arms, in between fingers and toes, between the legs, or on elbows and knees. In addition, girls with insulin resistance may have polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). In PCOS, the ovaries get bigger and develop fluid-filled sacs called cysts. Girls with this condition often have irregular periods or may stop having periods altogether, and they are more likely to have excess facial and body hair.

Doctors can say for sure if a person has diabetes by testing pee and blood samples for glucose. Even if a person doesn't have any symptoms of type 2 diabetes, doctors may order blood tests to check for it in people who are more likely to get it — like those who are overweight. Some kids and teens with diabetes may go to a pediatric endocrinologist (pronounced: pee-dee-ah-trik en-doh-krih-nah-leh-jist) — a doctor who specializes in diagnosing and treating children and teens living with diseases of the endocrine system, such as diabetes and growth problems.

Living With Type 2 Diabetes

People with type 2 diabetes have to pay a little more attention to what they're eating and doing than people who don't have diabetes. They may need to:
eat a balanced diet
get regular physical activity
take insulin or other medicines that help the body use insulin more effectively
check their blood sugar levels on a regular basis
get treatment for other health problems that can happen more often in people with type 2 diabetes, like high blood pressure or problems with the levels of fats in their blood
have regular checkups with doctors and other people on their diabetes health care team so they can stay healthy and get treatment for any diabetes problems
People with type 2 diabetes might have to eat smaller food portions and less salt or fat, too. People who eat healthy foods, stay active, and get to a healthy weight may bring their blood sugar levels into a healthier range. Their doctors may even say they don't need to take any medicines at all.
Sometimes people who have diabetes feel different from their friends because they need to think about how they eat and how to control their blood sugar levels every day. And some people with diabetes want to deny that they even have it. They might hope that if they ignore diabetes, it will just go away. They may feel angry, depressed, helpless, or that their parents are constantly in their faces about their diabetes management.
If you've been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, it's normal to feel like your world has been turned upside down. Fortunately, your diabetes care team is there to provide answers and support. Don't hesitate to ask your doctors, dietitian, and other treatment professionals for advice and tips. There are also support groups where you can talk about your feelings and find out how other people cope with the disease.
Diabetes brings challenges, of course. But people with diabetes play sports, travel, date, go to school, and work just like their friends. There are thousands of teens with diabetes, all learning to handle the same challenges.

Diabetes Treatment Basics

The first thing to know about when it comes to treating diabetes is blood glucose levels. The blood glucose level is the amount of glucose in the blood. Glucose is a sugar that comes from the foods we eat, and it's also formed and stored inside the body. It's the main source of energy for the cells of the body, and it's carried to each cell through the blood. Glucose gets into the cells with the help of a hormone called insulin (pronounced: in-suh-lin).
So how do blood glucose levels relate to type 2 diabetes? People with type 2 diabetes don't respond normally to insulin anymore, so glucose stays in the bloodstream and doesn't get into the cells. This causes blood glucose levels to go too high. High blood sugar levels can make people with type 2 diabetes feel sick, so a treatment plan for a person with type 2 diabetes involves keeping their blood sugar levels within a healthy range, while making sure they grow and develop normally. To do that, people with type 2 diabetes need to:

eat a healthy, balanced diet and follow a meal plan
get regular exercise
take medicines as prescribed
check blood sugar levels regularly

The good news is that sticking to the plan can help people feel healthy and avoid diabetes problems later.

Eat a Healthy Diet and Follow a Meal Plan

Eating right and exercising more often is good for everyone. But it's especially important for people with type 2 diabetes because they often have more body fat than they should. When people put on too much body fat, it's because they're eating more calories than they use each day. The body stores that extra energy in fat cells. Over time, gaining pounds of extra fat can lead to obesity and diseases related to obesity, like type 2 diabetes.
Getting to a healthy weight — even losing just a few pounds of extra body fat — goes a long way in helping to keep blood sugar levels under control. How do you do it? Eating healthy foods is one thing people with type 2 diabetes can do. In addition to eating healthy foods, people with type 2 diabetes have to pay attention to the amount of carbohydrates (pronounced: kar-bo-hi-drates and sometimes called carbs) and calories in the foods they eat.
Eating certain foods will cause blood sugar levels to go up more than others, which can make controlling blood sugar more difficult for people with diabetes unless insulin and other diabetes medications are taken at the proper times and doses. There are three major nutrients in food: carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. Foods that cause blood sugar levels to go up contain carbohydrates. Foods that contain mostly protein and/or fat don't affect blood sugar levels as much as foods with carbohydrates. But they still contain calories and can cause a person to gain too much body fat if he or she eats too much of them.
For people with type 2 diabetes (and everyone else, too), it's best to not eat too many sugary treats or fast foods. They're not really healthy food choices, and they can make you gain too much body fat and get cavities. People with type 2 diabetes may also need to eat smaller amounts of food, too. A balanced, healthy diet doesn't mean giving up your favorite foods or going on a starvation diet. But you'll probably have to limit junk food and sweets and eat smaller portions of foods if you're overweight.
To help you eat right, you and your diabetes health care team will create a written diabetes meal plan. Meal plans usually consist of guidelines for preparing breakfast, lunch, and dinner with scheduled between-meal snacks. The diabetes meal plan won't tell you specific foods to eat, but it will guide you in selecting choices from the basic food groups and help you eat nutritious, balanced meals. Each meal and snack in the plan contains a certain amount of carbohydrates, which works with the types and amount of insulin you take.

Get Regular Exercise

Exercise is good for everyone, including people with diabetes. It's also an important part of diabetes treatment because exercise can improve your body's response to insulin, help you lose extra body fat, and get your heart and lungs in good shape. It can also reduce the risk of other health problems, like cancer.
You may be wondering about how exercise will affect your diabetes, but you shouldn't use diabetes as an excuse not to get moving. Most types of exercise are great for people with type 2 diabetes — from walking the dog or riding a bike to playing team sports. Make it your goal to exercise every day to get the most benefits
You can talk to your diabetes health care team about making any necessary meal or medication adjustments when you exercise. They'll offer specific suggestions to help you get ready for exercise or join a sport and give you written instructions to help you respond to any diabetes problems that may occur during exercise, like hypoglycemia (pronounced: hi-po-gly-see-me-uh) (low blood sugar), or hyperglycemia (pronounced: hi-per-gly-see-me-uh) (high blood sugar).

Take Medicines as Prescribed

There are many types of medications for adults with type 2 diabetes. They work in different ways to help the body make or respond to insulin better.
Sometimes pills for diabetes — even when combined with diet and exercise — aren't enough to keep blood sugar levels under control. Some people with type 2 diabetes also have to take insulin injections. The only way to get insulin into the body right now is by injection with a needle or with an insulin pump. If a person tried to take insulin as a pill, the acids and digestive juices in the stomach and intestines would break down the medicine, and it wouldn't work.
There are different kinds of insulin used for different purposes. The types of insulin you use and the number of shots you take each day will depend on what's best for you and your daily schedule.
Once you've had your insulin injection, you can't stop the medicine from working. If you take an insulin shot but forget to eat, your blood sugar levels can get too low. So try to avoid skipping meals or snacks. If your parents remind you to eat when you take your insulin, it's probably because they worry about you, not because they're trying to nag you! Your diabetes health care team will teach you how and when to give yourself insulin shots.

Check Blood Sugar Levels

Checking your blood sugar levels is another part of your diabetes treatment plan. It lets you know how well the other parts of your treatment plan are working, and it's the only way to know how you are doing with your diabetes control on a daily basis.

Your diabetes health care team will let you know what your blood sugar levels should be and how often to check them each day. In general, people with type 2 diabetes should test blood sugar levels with a blood glucose meter at least twice a day, but you may need to test more frequently if you are taking insulin, have just been diagnosed with diabetes, or you are having difficulties keeping your blood sugar under control.

A blood glucose meter tells you what your blood sugar level is at the moment you test. Your doctor may also send you for another type of blood sugar test that tells you how your blood sugar levels have been for the few months before the test.

Putting It All Together

Treating and managing diabetes may seem complicated at times. But your diabetes health care team is there for you. Your diabetes management plan should be easy to understand, detailed, and written down for you so that you can refer to it whenever you need to. The good news about type 2 diabetes is that if you do the diabetes treatment steps listed above, your blood sugar levels can return to a healthier range. For some people with type 2 diabetes, that can mean not even needing to take diabetes medicines anymore.

In addition to the diabetes treatments mentioned above, you may also hear about alternative treatments for diabetes, such as herbal remedies and vitamin or mineral supplements. These practices can be risky, especially when people stop following the treatment plan their doctor has given them. So get the facts by talking to your diabetes health care team.