Type 2 Diabetes - Diabetes Information You Can Live With

Type 2 diabetes is not just a disease, it is a lifestyle. It is estimated that twenty million Americans have diabetes, and that an additional 16 million have pre-diabetes that will probably develop type 2 diabetes within the next 10 years. Type 2 diabetes is most common form of diabetes and is found in people 45 years of age and older that are overweight and have a family history of diabetes. Diet and excercise can dramatically reduce the harmful effects of type 2 diabetes. For people who have been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes this must become the core of their lifestyle.

Type 2 diabetes is a form of diabetes that develops when the body does not respond properly to insulin produced by the pancreas, as opposed to type 1 diabetes, in which the pancreas makes no insulin at all. At first, the pancreas keeps up with the added demand by producing more insulin. In time, however, it loses the ability to secrete enough insulin in response to meals.

Food is broken down into glucose, which is the simple sugar that is the main source of energy for the body's cells. But your cells cannot use glucose without insulin, a hormone produced by the pancreas. Insulin helps the cells take in glucose and convert it into energy, keeping glucose levels under contol. When the pancreas does not make enough insulin or the body is unable to use the insulin that is produced, the cells cannot convert the glucose as needed. Excess glucose builds up in the bloodstream, setting the stage for diabetes. Type 2 diabetes usually occurs as the result of a combination of problems with insulin resistance and insulin secretion.

Being obese or overweight affects the way insulin works in your body, due to the fat tissue, which can create insulin resistance. The majority of people with Type 2 diabetes are insulin resistant. If you have insulin resistance, your muscle, fat, and liver cells do not use insulin properly. The pancreas tries to keep up with the demand for insulin by producing more. Eventually, the pancreas cannot keep up with the body's need for insulin, and excess glucose builds up in the bloodstream. Many people with insulin resistance have high levels of blood glucose and high levels of insulin circulating in their blood at the same time.

Type 2 diabetes is controllable through diet and excercise in most cases. One of the most common myths about type 2 diabetes is that their is a special "diabetes diet", when in fact the diet for a type 2 diabetic is really no different than that of the general population, with additional emphasis on controlling weight, glucose levels and mitigating risks for heart disease. Heart disease is higher in those diagnosed with diabetes, so limiting the intake of fats, especially saturated fat, salt, and increasing the amount of fiber consumed through friuts and vegetables, will dramatically decrease the risk for heart disease. The keys to controlling type 2 diabetes is to eat healthy, eat in moderation, and increase your daily physical activity. Type 2 diabetes is not just an illness, it is a lifestyle.

http://www.type2diabetesdiet.info offers more information on type 2 diabetes symptoms, diet, risks, recipes and much more to help inform and create a lifestyle that you can live with.