Understanding Type 2

Diabetes
 Symptoms

 Causes

 Treatment

 Medications

 Diet

 Risk factors

 Diagnosis

 Prevention

 Complications

 In children

 Statistics

 Managing type 2 diabetes

RECALL OF METFORMIN EXTENDED RELEASE

In May 2020, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)Trusted

Source recommended that some makers of metformin extended release
remove some of their tablets from the U.S. market. This is because an
unacceptable level of a probable carcinogen (cancer-causing agent) was
found in some extended-release metformin tablets. If you currently take this
drug, call your healthcare provider. They will advise whether you should
continue to take your medication or if you need a new prescription.
Diabetes is a chronic medical condition in which sugar, or glucose, levels
build up in your bloodstream. The hormone insulin helps move the glucose
from your blood into your cells, where it’s used for energy.

In type 2 diabetes, your body’s cells aren’t able to respond to insulin as well
as they should. In later stages of the disease, your body may also not
produce enough insulin.

Uncontrolled type 2 diabetes can lead to chronically high blood glucose

levels, causing several symptoms and potentially leading to serious
complications.

Symptoms of type 2 diabetes

In type 2 diabetes, your body isn’t able to effectively use insulin to bring
glucose into your cells. This causes your body to rely on alternative energy
sources in your tissues, muscles, and organs. This is a chain reaction that
can cause a variety of symptoms.

Type 2 diabetes can develop slowly. The symptoms may be mild and easy
to dismiss at first. The early symptoms may include:

 constant hunger
 a lack of energy
 fatigue
 weight loss
 excessive thirst
 frequent urination
 dry mouth
 itchy skin
 blurry vision
As the disease progresses, the symptoms become more severe and
potentially dangerous.

If your blood glucose levels have been high for a long time, the symptoms
can include:

 yeast infections
 slow-healing cuts or sores
 dark patches on your skin, a condition known as acanthosis nigricans
 foot pain
 feelings of numbness in your extremities, or neuropathy

If you have two or more of these symptoms, you should see your doctor.
Without treatment, diabetes can become life-threatening. Discover other
symptoms of type 2 diabetes.

Causes of type 2 diabetes

Insulin is a naturally occurring hormone. Your pancreas produces it and
releases it when you eat. Insulin helps transport glucose from your
bloodstream to cells throughout your body, where it’s used for energy.

If you have type 2 diabetes, your body becomes resistant to insulin. Your

body is no longer using the hormone efficiently. This forces your pancreas
to work harder to make more insulin.

Over time, this can damage cells in your pancreas. Eventually, your

pancreas may not be able to produce any insulin.

If you don’t produce enough insulin or if your body doesn’t use it efficiently,
glucose builds up in your bloodstream. This leaves your body’s cells
starved for energy. Doctors don’t know exactly what triggers this series of
events.
It may have to do with cell dysfunction in the pancreas or with cell signaling
and regulation. In some people, the liver produces too much glucose. There
may be a genetic predisposition to developing type 2 diabetes.

There’s definitely a genetic predisposition to obesity, which increases the

risk of insulin resistance and diabetes. There could also be an
environmental trigger.

Most likely, it’s a combination of factors that increases the risk of type 2
diabetes. Find out more about the causes of diabetes.

Treatment for type 2 diabetes

You can effectively manage type 2 diabetes. Your doctor will tell you how
often you should check your blood glucose levels. The goal is to stay within
a specific range.

Follow these tips to manage type 2 diabetes:

 Include foods rich in fiber and healthy carbohydrates in your diet.

Eating fruits, vegetables, and whole grains will help keep your blood
glucose levels steady.
 Eat at regular intervals
 Only eat until you’re full.
 Control your weight and keep your heart healthy. That means keeping
refined carbohydrates, sweets, and animal fats to a minimum.
 Get about half an hour of aerobic activity daily to help keep your heart
healthy. Exercise helps to control blood glucose, too.

Your doctor will explain how to recognize the early symptoms of blood
sugar that’s too high or too low and what to do in each situation. They’ll also
help you learn which foods are healthy and which foods aren’t.
Not everyone with type 2 diabetes needs to use insulin. If you do, it’s
because your pancreas isn’t making enough insulin on its own. It’s crucial
that you take insulin as directed. There are other prescription medications
that may help as well.

Medications for type 2 diabetes

In some cases, lifestyle changes are enough to keep type 2 diabetes under
control. If not, there are several medications that may help. Some of these
medications are:

 metformin, which can lower your blood glucose levels and improve
how your body responds to insulin — it’s the preferred treatment for
most people with type 2 diabetes
 sulfonylureas, which are oral medications that help your body make
more insulin
 meglitinides, which are fast-acting, short-duration medications that
stimulate your pancreas to release more insulin
 thiazolidinediones, which make your body more sensitive to insulin
 dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors, which are milder medications that
help reduce blood glucose levels
 glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists, which slow
digestion and improve blood glucose levels
 sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors, which help
prevent the kidneys from reabsorbing glucose into the blood and
sending it out in your urine

Each of these medications can cause side effects. It may take some time to
find the best medication or combination of medications to treat your
diabetes.
If your blood pressure or cholesterol levels are a problem, you may need
medications to address those needs as well.

If your body can’t make enough insulin, you may need insulin therapy. You
may only need a long-acting injection you can take at night, or you may
need to take insulin several times per day. Learn about other medications
that can help you manage diabetes.

Diet for type 2 diabetes

Diet is an important tool to keep your heart healthy and blood glucose levels
within a safe and healthy range. It doesn’t have to be complicated or
unpleasant.

The diet recommended for people with type 2 diabetes is the same diet just
about everyone should follow. It boils down to a few key actions:

 Eat meals and snacks on schedule.
 Choose a variety of foods that are high in nutrients and low in empty
calories.
 Be careful not to overeat.
 Read food labels closely.

Foods and beverages to avoid

There are certain foods and beverages that you should limit or avoid
entirely. These include:

 foods heavy in saturated or trans fats

 organ meats, such as beef or liver
 processed meats
 shellfish
  margarine and shortening
 baked goods such as white bread, bagels
 processed snacks
 sugary drinks, including fruit juices
 high-fat dairy products
 pasta or white rice

Skipping salty foods and fried foods is also recommended. Check out this

list of other foods and drinks to steer clear of if you have diabetes.

Foods to choose

Healthy carbohydrates can provide you with fiber. The options include:

 whole fruits
 non-starchy vegetables
 legumes, such as beans
 whole grains such as oats or quinoa
 sweet potatoes

Foods with heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids include:

 tuna
 sardines
 salmon
 mackerel
 halibut
 cod
 flax seeds
You can get healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats from a
number of foods, including:

 oils, such as olive oil, canola oil, and peanut oil

 nuts, such as almonds, pecans, and walnuts
 avocados

Although these options for healthy fats are good for you, they’re also high in
calories. Moderation is key. Opting for low-fat dairy products will also keep
your fat intake under control. Discover more diabetes-friendly foods, from
cinnamon to shirataki noodles.

The bottom line

Talk to your doctor about your personal nutrition and calorie goals.
Together, you can come up with a diet plan that tastes great and suits your
lifestyle needs. Explore carb counting and the Mediterranean diet, along
with other approaches, here.

HEALTHLINE NEWSLETTER

Newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes?

Jump-start your type 2 diabetes management with our 5-part email series.
Get support, guidance, and helpful tips on food, medication, and more.
Enter your email

SUBSCRIBE

Your privacy is important to us

Risk factors for type 2 diabetes

We may not understand the exact causes of type 2 diabetes, but we do
know that certain factors can put you at increased risk.
Certain factors are out of your control:

 Your risk is greater if you have a brother, sister, or parent who has

type 2 diabetes.
 You can develop type 2 diabetes at any age, but your risk
increases as you get older. Your risk is particularly high once you
reach 45 years old.
 African-Americans, Hispanic-Americans, Asian-Americans, Pacific
Islanders, and Native Americans (American Indians and Alaska
Natives) are at higher risk than Caucasians.
 Women who have a condition called polycystic ovarian syndrome
(PCOS) are at increased risk.

You may be able to change these factors:

 Being overweight means that you have more fatty tissue, which
makes your cells more resistant to insulin. Extra fat in the
abdomen increases your risk more than extra fat in the hips and
thighs.
 Your risk increases if you have a sedentary lifestyle. Regular exercise
uses up glucose and helps your cells respond better to insulin.
 Eating a lot of junk foods or eating too much wreaks havoc on your
blood glucose levels.

You’re also at increased risk if you’ve had gestational

diabetes or prediabetes, two conditions caused by elevated glucose
levels. Learn more about the factors that can increase your risk for
diabetes.

Receiving a type 2 diabetes

diagnosis
Whether or not you have prediabetes, you should see your doctor right
away if you have the symptoms of diabetes. Your doctor can get a lot of
information from blood work. Diagnostic testing may include the following:

 Hemoglobin A1C test. This test measures average blood glucose

levels for the previous two or three months. You don’t need to fast for
this test, and your doctor can diagnose you based on the results. It’s
also called a glycosylated hemoglobin test.
 Fasting plasma glucose test. This test measures how much
glucose is in your plasma. You may need to fast for eight
hours before having it.
 Oral glucose tolerance test. During this test, your blood is drawn
three times: before, one hour after, and two hours after you drink a
dose of glucose. The test results show how well your body deals with
glucose before and after the drink.

If you have diabetes, your doctor will provide you with information about
how to manage the disease, including:

 how to monitor blood glucose levels on your own

 dietary recommendations
 physical activity recommendations
 information about any medications that you need

You may need to see an endocrinologist who specializes in the treatment of

diabetes. You’ll probably need to visit your doctor more often at first to
make sure your treatment plan is working.

If you don’t already have an endocrinologist, the Healthline FindCare

tool can help you find a physician in your area.

Early diagnosis is key to proper diabetes management. Find out more about

how type 2 diabetes is diagnosed.
Tips for how to prevent type 2
diabetes
You can’t always prevent type 2 diabetes. There’s nothing you can do about
your genetics, ethnicity, or age.

However, a few lifestyle tweaks can help delay or even prevent the onset of
type 2 diabetes, whether or not you have diabetes risk factors such as
prediabetes.

Diet

Your diet should limit sugar and refined carbohydrates and replace them
with low glycemic whole grains, carbohydrates, and fiber. Lean meat,
poultry, or fish provide protein. You also need heart-healthy omega-3 fatty
acids from certain kinds of fish, monounsaturated fats, and polyunsaturated
fats. Dairy products should be low in fat.

It’s not only what you eat, but also how much you eat that matters. You
should be careful about portion sizes and try to eat meals at about the
same time every day.

Exercise

Type 2 diabetes is associated with inactivity. Getting 30 minutes of aerobic

exercise every day can improve your overall health. Try to add in extra
movement throughout the day, too.

Weight management

You’re more likely to develop type 2 diabetes if you’re overweight. Eating

a healthy, balanced diet and getting daily exercise should help you keep
your weight under control. If those changes aren’t working, your doctor can
make some recommendations for losing weight safely.

The bottom line

These changes in diet, exercise, and weight management work together to

help keep your blood glucose levels within the ideal range all day
long. Discover how curcumin, vitamin D, and even coffee can also help you
prevent type 2 diabetes.

Complications associated with

type 2 diabetes
For many people, type 2 diabetes can be effectively managed. If not
properly managed, it can affect virtually all of your organs and lead to
serious complications, including:

 skin problems, such as bacterial or fungal infections

 nerve damage, or neuropathy, which can cause a loss of sensation or
numbness and tingling in your extremities as well as digestive issues,
such as vomiting, diarrhea, and constipation
 poor circulation to the feet, which makes it hard for your feet to heal
when you have a cut or an infection and can also lead
to gangrene and loss of the foot or leg
 hearing impairment
 retinal damage, or retinopathy, and eye damage, which can cause
deteriorating vision, glaucoma, and cataracts
 cardiovascular diseases such as high blood pressure, narrowing of
the arteries, angina, heart attack, and stroke
Hypoglycemia

Hypoglycemia can occur when your blood sugar is low. The symptoms can
include shakiness, dizziness, and difficulty speaking. You can usually
remedy this by having a “quick-fix” food or beverage, such as fruit juice, a
soft drink, or a hard candy.

Hyperglycemia

Hyperglycemia can happen when blood sugar is high. It’s typically

characterized by frequent urination and increased thirst. Exercising can
help lower your blood glucose level.

Complications during and after pregnancy

If you have diabetes while you’re pregnant, you’ll need to monitor your
condition carefully. Diabetes that’s poorly controlled can:

 complicate pregnancy, labor, and delivery

 harm your baby’s developing organs
 cause your baby to gain too much weight

It can also increase your baby’s risk of developing diabetes during their
lifetime.

The bottom line

Diabetes is associated with a range of complications.

Women with diabetes are twice as likely to have another heart attack after

the first one. Their risk of heart failure is four times that of women without
diabetes. Men with diabetes are 3.5 times as likely to develop erectile
dysfunction (ED).
Kidney damage and kidney failure can affect both women and men with the
disease. Take these steps to lower your risk of kidney damage and other
diabetes complications.

Type 2 diabetes in children

Type 2 diabetes in children is a growing problem. According to
the American Diabetes Association (ADA), around 193,000 Americans
under age 20 have type 1 or type 2 diabetes. One study found that the
incidence of type 2 diabetes in youth has increased to about 5,000 new
cases per year. Another study showed a significant increase, particularly in
minority races and ethnic groups.

The reasons for this are complex, but risk factors for type 2 diabetes
include:

 being overweight, or having a body mass index above the 85th

percentile
 having a birth weight of 9 pounds or more
 being born to a mother who had diabetes while she was pregnant
 having a close family member with type 2 diabetes
 having a sedentary lifestyle
 being African-American, Hispanic American, Asian-American, Native
American, or a Pacific Islander

The symptoms of type 2 diabetes in children are the same as those in

adults. They include:

 excessive thirst or hunger

 increased urination
 sores that are slow to heal
 frequent infections
  fatigue
 blurry vision
 areas of darkened skin

See your child’s doctor immediately if they have these symptoms.

In 2018, the ADA recommended that all children who are overweight and

have additional diabetes risk factors be tested for prediabetes or type 2.
Untreated diabetes can lead to serious and even life-threatening
complications.

A random blood glucose test may reveal high blood glucose levels. A

hemoglobin A1C test can provide more information about average blood
glucose levels over a few months. Your child may also need a fasting blood
glucose test.

If your child is diagnosed with diabetes, then their doctor will need to
determine if it’s type 1 or type 2 before suggesting a specific treatment.

You can help lower your child’s risk by encouraging them to eat well and
to be physically active every day. Get more information on type 2 diabetes,
its effect on children, and how it’s becoming so common in this group that
it’s no longer known as adult-onset diabetes.

Statistics about type 2 diabetes

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)Trusted
Source report the following statistics about diabetes in the United States:

 Over 30 million people have diabetes. That’s around 10 percent of the

population.
 One in four people have no idea they have diabetes.
  Prediabetes affects 84.1 million adults, and 90 percent of them are
unaware of it.
 Non-Hispanic black, Hispanic, and Native American adults are about
twice as likelyTrusted Source to have diabetes as non-Hispanic white
adults.

The ADA reports the following statistics:

 In 2017, diabetes cost the United States $327 billion in direct medical
costs and reduced productivity.
 The average medical expenses for people with diabetes are about 2.3
times higher than they would be in the absence of diabetes.
 Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States,
either as the underlying cause of death or as a contributing cause of
death.

The World Health Organization (WHO)Trusted Source reports the following

statistics:

 The 2014 global prevalence of diabetes was 8.5 percent for adults.
 In 1980, only 4.7 percent of adults worldwide had diabetes.
 Diabetes directly caused about 1.6 million deaths worldwide in 2016.
 Diabetes nearly triples the risk of heart attack and stroke in adults.
 Diabetes is also a leading cause of kidney failure.

Diabetes’ impact is widespread. It touches the lives of nearly half-a-billion of

people around the world. View some infographics that shine a light on other
diabetes statistics you should know.

Medically reviewed by