In one way, type 2 diabetes is similar to high blood pressure; it sneaks up on you and catches you unaware. Then one day after your annual check-up visit to your health care provider, you hear these words “your fasting blood sugar level is a little high, you will need to have an oral glucose tolerance test to definitely confirm or rule out you have type 2 diabetes”. You are shocked!

You may not have any specific symptoms indicating you have type 2 diabetes, but you have been feeling fatigued around mealtime and you have gained weight, especially around your abdominal area. Maybe you just thought that was part of getting older!

The truth is diabetes does not just creep up on you, actually the particular weight gain that gives you a waist measurement larger than your hips, is a sign of insulin resistance (IR). This means insulin is unable to enter your cells and nourish them with your blood sugar. The fatigued feeling at mealtime is a sign your blood sugar level is elevated because sugar cannot be transported into your cells.

Symptoms of type 2 can include:

• loss of concentration
• insomnia, and rising during the night to eat
• not having enough energy to perform your daily activities
• confusion, and sometimes slurred speech
• personality changes
• a desire to eat when your are not really hungry

As this condition progresses, the symptoms and complications become obvious and include:

• numbness of your hands and feet that makes it difficult to walk and drive a car
• heart disease
• high cholesterol levels
• infections
• foot ulcers
• cataracts

Type 1 diabetes starts in the pancreas, but type 2 diabetes starts at the level of your cells. Nutrients including sugar need to be delivered into your cells as it is used as fuel to drive your body. Entry of sugar is regulated by insulin; if you are insulin resistant then sugar, and to a lesser extent fat and protein, cannot enter your cells. They remain outside in the blood vessels or within the surrounding supporting tissue.

Eventually these substances spill out and over into your fat cells and into the wall of your blood vessels. Your body’s major response to this is to release more insulin. Still the sugar does not enter your cells and now insulin increases fat deposition and alters the metabolism of fat.

Insulin resistance predisposes you to a tendency to develop the following:

• non-insulin dependent diabetes or type 2
• high blood pressure
• cholesterol abnormalities
• obesity
• atherosclerosis

Approximately 30% of Caucasians and 100% of black races possess the insulin resistance (IR) gene. The best way to prevent the IR gene from manifesting is to avoid a diet high in saturated fat and refined sugars and to maintain a regular exercise program.

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