Type 2 diabetes is a long-term condition that occurs when the body doesnt regulate and use sugar (glucose) as a fuel properly. Insulin, a hormone made by the pancreas, helps glucose get into your cells to be used for energy. In type 2 diabetes, your body doesn’t make enough insulin or doesn’t use insulin well. As a result, too much glucose stays in your blood, and not enough reaches your cells. Type 2 diabetes used to be known as adult-onset diabetes, but both type 1 and type 2 diabetes can begin during childhood and adulthood. Type 2 is more common in older adults, but the increase in the number of children with obesity has led to more cases of type 2 diabetes in younger people.

The main symptoms of type 2 diabetes include:

• Urinating often
• Feeling very thirsty
• Feeling very hungry, even though you are eating
• Extreme fatigue
• Blurry vision
• Cuts/bruises that are slow to heal
• Tingling, pain, or numbness in the hands/feet (type 2)

Type 2 diabetes may be caused by a combination of factors, including being overweight or having obesity, not being physically active, genetics, and family history. Risk factors for type 2 diabetes include being over age 45, having prediabetes, having diabetes in pregnancy or giving birth to a baby weighing 9 pounds or more, having a family history of diabetes, and being overweight or having obesity.

There is no cure for type 2 diabetes, but losing weight, eating well, and exercising can help manage the disease. A simple blood test can diagnose type 2 diabetes, and early detection and treatment can decrease the risk of developing complications.