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This topic provides information for adults who have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes within the last 6 weeks. If this topic does not answer your questions, see:

• Type 2 Diabetes, if you want to learn about type 2 diabetes.
• Type 2 Diabetes: Living With the Disease, if you have had type 2 diabetes for more than a month.
• Type 2 Diabetes in Children, if your child has type 2 diabetes.
• Type 2 Diabetes: Living With Complications, if you have eye, kidney, heart, nerve, or blood vessel disease caused by diabetes.

If you are looking for information about type 1 diabetes, see the topic Type 1 Diabetes.

What is type 2 diabetes?

The cells in your body need insulin to change glucose, the sugar that comes from the food you eat, into the energy you need to live. Without insulin, this sugar cannot get into your cells to do its work. It stays in your blood instead. Your blood sugar level then gets too high.

Type 2 diabetes usually begins with insulin resistance. This means that your pancreas is making enough insulin, but your cells are not able to use it. When your cells don't get the sugar they need, your pancreas works harder at first to make more insulin. But after a while, your pancreas stops being able to make enough insulin.

High blood sugar can harm many parts of the body. It can damage blood vessels and nerves throughout your body. You will have a bigger chance of getting eye, heart, blood vessel, nerve, and kidney disease.

Your weight, level of physical activity, and family history affect how your body responds to insulin. People who are overweight, get little or no exercise, or have diabetes in the family are more likely to get type 2 diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes is usually found in adults, which is why it used to be called adult-onset diabetes. But now more and more children and teens are getting it too.

Type 2 diabetes is a disease that you will always have, but you can live a long and healthy life by learning how to manage it.

What are the symptoms?

Many people have symptoms such as increased thirst and urination, weight loss, and blurred vision. Some people do not have symptoms, especially when diabetes is diagnosed early.

How is type 2 diabetes diagnosed?

Most likely you found out that you have diabetes when you saw your doctor for a regular checkup or for some other problem. Your doctor probably diagnosed type 2 diabetes by examining you, asking about your health history, and looking at the results of blood sugar tests.

How is it treated?

A healthy diet helps keep your blood sugar under control and helps prevent heart disease. Eating the right amount of carbohydrate at each meal is very important. Carbohydrate is found in sugar and sweets, grains, fruit, starchy vegetables, and milk and yogurt. A dietitian or a certified diabetes educator can help you plan your meals.