Type 2 diabetes is not caused by being over weight, but they are linked. It is no coincidence that nearly 90% of type 2 diabetics are overweight. Obesity, often the result of unhealthy life style choices, is a known risk factor for this condition and now affects more than one in three American adults. Yet, over the last 20 years, the number of American adults following a healthy life style has declined.

Type 2 diabetes develops from pre-diabetes, which is when the body becomes resistant to insulin. Insulin resistance is a condition where the body does not use the insulin that it produces effectively enough to reduce blood sugar levels.

Your body uses glucose in the blood as its fuel. Supplying glucose to all the cells in your body via the bloodstream ensures that the cells work together and keep functioning normally. Insulin transforms excess glucose into glycogen in the fat, muscle and liver cells. This is how insulin manages to reduce the blood sugar level.

If you are obese, your excessive fat cells make it harder for insulin to work effectively. Gradually more and more insulin is needed to reduce the level of glucose in your blood. If this is allowed to continue unchecked, your body will go from the pre-diabetic stage to type 2 diabetes. That is how obese people, often unknowingly, develop type 2 diabetes.

But it need not be like that. Having a healthy, balanced, calorie controlled diet will aid weight loss particularly when combined with regular exercise. When you exercise, your body burns up glucose, which can help to return your blood sugar levels nearer to normal. This is why taking regular periods of moderate exercise is so important if you want to prevent the onset of type 2 diabetes.

If you are consuming fewer calories than you burn up, your body will make up the calories that it needs by burning fat reserves, which in turn makes it easier for your insulin to work effectively. This is why following a healthy, balanced diet is important.

Obesity substantially increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. By having a healthy diet, taking regular amounts of moderate exercise and losing weight you can significantly reduce the risk of developing insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. 

What you should know is that diabetes is not always hereditary. So even if your family does not have it, you can get it because it can be acquired. You will learn a lot by reading blood sugar facts. This is the reason why there are people who are very careful when it comes to the kind of food that they eat and the amount by which they consume it. Of course, they lose weight and maintain the physique of their body when they do so.

There is also a condition that is called pre-diabetes. Personally, I did not realize of the condition and I am so glad I was able to read up on a couple of blood sugar facts. Pre-diabetes is a condition where the levels of blood sugar are higher than usual but it is not high enough to cause alarm. Actually, pre-diabetes may even cause type 2 diabetes. Although not everybody with pre-diabetes will get it.

The reason why health organizations are emphasizing the need for all of us to be informed about basic blood sugar facts because we need it to be able to function well. Do you know that Southeast Asia has the highest number of people with pre-diabetes? The reason for this is not everybody knows that the condition exists. I am sure that if they are informed, they will be more conscious on what they eat. Actually, people who are more then 45 years old and are overweight are more likely to develop pre-diabetes. Although it can be avoided with just diet and exercise.