Type 2 Diabetes

Type 2 diabetes, formerly called adult-onset or noninsulindependent diabetes, is the most common form of diabetes. People can develop type 2 diabetes at any age, even during childhood. This form of diabetes usually begins with insulin resistance, a condition in which fat, muscle, and liver cells do not use insulin properly. 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. People who are overweight and inactive are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes. Treatment includes taking diabetes medicines, making wise food choices, exercising regularly, controlling blood pressure and cholesterol, and taking aspirin daily—for some.

What is Type 2 Diabetes?

Type 2 diabetes is a common metabolic condition that develops when the body fails to produce enough insulin or when insulin fails to work properly, which is referred to as insulin resistance. Insulin is the hormone that stimulates cells to uptake glucose from the blood to use for energy.

Diabetes Mellitus Type 2 Pathophysiology

Type 2 Diabetes Symptoms

Type 2 Diabetes Diagnosis

Type 2 Diabetes Screening and Prevention

Type 2 Diabetes Treatment

Living With Type 2 Diabetes

Vitamin D and Type 2 Diabetes

Is a Plant-Based Diet Good for Type 2 Diabetes?

Are Low Carbohydrate Diets Good for Type 2 Diabetes?

What is Insulin Resistance?

Insulin Resistance Pathophysiology

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Diabetes in Men versus Women

Insulin Medication

Latest Type 2 Diabetes News and Research

Diabetes leads to drastic reduction in the kidney's potential to clean itself

The kidneys often become bulky and dysfunctional in diabetes, and now scientists have found that one path to this damage dramatically reduces the kidney's ability to clean up after itself.

22 Sep 2020

Making sense of blood glucose data to better optimize self-management of diabetes

Throughout her 38-year nursing career, Laurel Despins has progressed from a bedside nurse to a clinical nurse specialist and has worked in medical, surgical and cardiac intensive care units.

22 Sep 2020

Early bedtime helps people with diabetes lead a healthy, active lifestyle

Conducted by the University of Leicester and the University of South Australia, the study assessed the bedtime preferences (sleep chronotypes) of people with type 2 diabetes, identifying a connection between bedtimes and healthy, active lifestyles.

21 Sep 2020

Genomic adaptations to rice‐based diets contribute to mitigation of metabolic risk

The traditional rice-based diet of some east-Asian population has brought to a number of genomic adaptations that may contribute to mitigating the spread of diabetes and obesity.

21 Sep 2020

Type 1 diabetes is associated with increased risk of falls

New research presented at this year's annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD), held online this year (21-25 September), shows that having type 1 diabetes (T1D) is associated with a 33% increase in the risk of falls compared with the general population, while having type 2 diabetes (T2D) is associated with a 19% increased risk of falls.

21 Sep 2020

Rheumatoid arthritis is associated with increased risk of developing diabetes

A new study presented at this year's annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD), held online this year, shows that rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is associated with a 23% increased risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D), and may indicate that both diseases are linked to the body's inflammatory response.

21 Sep 2020

Study: Greater exercise capacity is linked to decreased mortality risk in people with type 2 diabetes

New research presented at this year's Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD), held online this year, shows that having a greater exercise capacity is associated with a significantly decreased all-cause mortality risk of between 25-33% in people with type 2 diabetes (T2D).

21 Sep 2020

New study identifies more than 2,000 undiagnosed cases of type 2 diabetes

A study of approximately 200,000 blood samples from the UK Biobank has identified more than 2,000 undiagnosed cases of type 2 diabetes.

21 Sep 2020

Researchers assess similarity of couples in pathophysiological mechanisms of type 2 diabetes

New research being presented at this year's Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD), held online this year, shows that when one half of a couple shows high levels of certain behaviours that prevent type 2 diabetes, such as good diet or exercise, that behaviour also tends to be high in the other half of the couple.

21 Sep 2020

Researchers identify biomarkers that predict patient’s response to metformin treatment

Metformin is the first-line drug that can lower blood sugar levels in type 2 diabetes patients. One third of patients do not respond to metformin treatment and 5 per cent experience serious side effects, which is the reason many choose to stop medicating.

18 Sep 2020

Glucagon resistance: A new biological concept in the fight against diabetes

Researchers from the University of Copenhagen are introducing a new biological concept in the fight against diabetes: glucagon resistance.

17 Sep 2020

CNIC researchers uncover a mechanism explaining how macrophages regulate obesity

Macrophages are immune system cells. They are essential in the early response to infections, and they also have a key role in the proper functioning of our tissues and the regulation of obesity.

17 Sep 2020

LOX-1-immature neutrophils may help identify COVID-19 patients at risk of thrombosis complication

To predict severe outcome in COVID-19 patients, innate immune cellular signals are analyzed, identifying two novel neutrophil subsets: LOX-1- and CD123-expressing CD10-CD64+. Thromboembolic events correlated with high LOX-1 immature neutrophils – a potential prognostic signature.

17 Sep 2020

A ferry protein in the pancreas safeguards beta-cells from high-fat diet induced stress

Every time we eat, the glucose level in our body goes up. This spurs our pancreatic machinery into action and through intricate physiological mechanisms, appropriate amounts of insulin are produced, our blood glucose levels are controlled, and we remain healthy.

16 Sep 2020

Conditions linked to obesity leave the lungs of obese patients more susceptible to COVID-19

Conditions related to obesity, including inflammation and leaky gut, leave the lungs of obese patients more susceptible to COVID-19 and may explain why they are more likely to die from the disease, UTSW scientists say in a new article published online in eLife.

16 Sep 2020

Study provides valuable insights on effects of APOE gene on health and disease

From Alzheimer's to obesity, life can change dramatically if you discover you have a genetic risk of disease. Now, a new study from the Australian Centre for Precision Health, University of South Australia is challenging these predispositions, showing that some of the genes traditionally labelled as 'bad' are not always what they seem.

16 Sep 2020

COVID-19 works with the body's microbiota to increase disease severity in obese and diabetic patients

The combined effects of the body's microbiota working together with COVID-19 in the lungs could explain the severity of the disease in people with obesity and diabetes, according to a new article published today in eLife.

15 Sep 2020

Prolonged loneliness may influence the development of type 2 diabetes

Published in the journal Diabetologia (the journal of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes [EASD]), the study shows that it is the absence of quality connections with people and not the lack of contact that predicts the onset of type 2 diabetes, suggesting that helping people form and experience positive relationships could be a useful tool in prevention strategies for type 2 diabetes.

15 Sep 2020

Enzyme insight could lead to new treatment approach for diabetic patients

Research led by the Centenary Institute has discovered that the lack of an enzyme in the liver called sphingosine kinase 2 results in pronounced insulin resistance and glucose intolerance, both symptoms of early stage type 2 diabetes.

15 Sep 2020

Researchers receive $2.5 million grant to develop and analyze breast tumor organoids

Breast cancer is the second most common cancer diagnosed in women in the United States after skin cancer, and women with comorbidities (the presence of more than one condition/disease) often fare worse in terms of their breast cancer.

14 Sep 2020