TYPE 2 Diabetes (non-insulin dependent, NIDDM)

In Type 2 Diabetes, your cells no longer respond completely to insulin. This tends to occur because the cell has responded to very large amounts of sugar in the blood stream over a long period of time. You could say that the cell gets tired out and the insulin "key" can't open the lock anymore. So, when you eat food, it is broken down into glucose like it should be, then gets picked up by the insulin in your blood stream, but can't get into the cells. This is called insulin resistance. Instead, the glucose keeps building up in your bloodstream and starts to cause a variety of health problems. One sign of this type of diabetes is that you have to urinate more frequently but still feel very thirsty. This reaction is because your kidneys are trying to clear out the extra glucose from your body.

Some people can take oral hypoglycemic agents to help with Type 2 Diabetes. Oral agents can help to lower the amount of glucose in your blood because they push the pancreas to make extra insulin. The extra insulin sometimes forces open the cells to let the glucose in, just because it is more insulin than your body is used to. In some cases, the oral agent no longer works properly. If your cells refuse to react, you may need insulin injections.

This type of diabetes tends to have a gradual onset, which usually happens after the age of 40. People who weigh more than is ideal for their height, or who have a genetic predisposition are likely to get this type of diabetes. By bringing your weight into a healthier range you get rid of extra glucose stored in your cells. Once this happens, your cells will be more willing to let in the glucose floating in your blood after a meal.