Type 2 diabetes

When you have type 2 diabetes, high levels of sugar build
up in your blood. This can lead to serious health complications. That's why controlling your blood sugar is key to managing diabetes. Keeping your blood sugar under control lowers your risk for complications later. High blood sugar can harm your organs and raise your risk of heart disease.



Having type 2 diabetes means that your body doesn't make enough insulin, or doesn't properly
use the insulin your body makes. Insulin is a hormone that is made in your pancreas. It helps
your body's cells use sugar (also called glucose), which comes from foods and drinks. Sugar
is a source of energy for cells.

This site focuses on type 2 diabetes, the most common form of the disease. Typically, with type 2 diabetes, the body still makes insulin, but its cells can't use it. This is called insulin resistance. Over time, high levels of sugar build up in the bloodstream. Being overweight and inactive increase the chances of developing type 2 diabetes.
Other main types of diabetes include:
Type 1 diabetes, which often affects children (although adults can develop it, too). In this form of diabetes, the body can't make insulin. The immune system mistakenly attacks the cells in the pancreas that make and release insulin. As these cells die, blood sugar levels rise. People with type 1 diabetes need insulin shots.
Gestational diabetes, which occurs in some pregnant women. It can cause problems
during pregnancy, labor, and delivery. Women who get gestational diabetes are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes.
Life with type 2 diabetes

Managing type 2 diabetes means making some changes to how you live. Talk with your doctor about which changes are right for you. For example, it helps to:
Eat healthy, and lose weight if your doctor says you should
Be more active
Test your blood sugar regularly
Have your doctor check your A1C level (your average blood sugar over the past two to
three months)
Take one or more diabetes medicines as prescribed by your doctor

http://www.diabetes.com/about-type-2-diabetes/about-type-2-diabetes.html