What is Type 2 Diabetes?
Type 2 diabetes, accounting for over 90% of diabetes cases, is a condition in which your body struggles to effectively utilize energy from food. Your pancreas plays a crucial role by producing insulin, a hormone that facilitates the utilization of glucose by your cells. As time passes, your pancreas gradually produces less insulin, and your cells become resistant to its effects. Diet and lifestyle significantly affect the likelihood that type 2 diabetes will manifest and influence its course after diagnosis.
Underlying Mechanism
The condition starts with the build-up of lipid particles in muscle and liver cells, mainly from the diet. These lipids cause insulin resistance, reducing the ability of muscle and liver cells to respond to insulin and remove glucose from the blood.
Risk Factors for Type 2 Diabetes
Adults who are overweight (body mass index [BMI] ≥ 25 kg/m2 or ≥ 23 kg/m2 in Asian Americans) and have any of the following are at increased risk:
- Regular consumption of animal-based foods
- Lack of physical activity
- Having a first-degree relative with diabetes
- Belonging to a high-risk race/ethnicity (e.g., Black, Latino, Native American, Asian American, Pacific Islander)
- Being a woman who was previously diagnosed with gestational diabetes
- Hypertension ≥ 140/90 mm Hg, or currently taking hypertension medication
- High triglyceride level (> 250 mg/dL)
- Women diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome
- A1C level ≥ 5.7%, impaired glucose tolerance, or impaired fasting glucose as indicated by previous tests
- Presence of other clinical conditions associated with insulin resistance
- History of cardiovascular disease
- Smoking
