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Diabetes – Type 2

What is it:
Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes. With type 2 diabetes, either the body does not produce enough insulin or the cells ignore the insulin. Insulin is necessary for the body to be able to use glucose for energy. When you eat food, the body breaks down all of the sugars and starches into glucose, which is the basic fuel for the cells in the body. Insulin takes the sugar from the blood into the cells. When glucose builds up in the blood instead of going into cells, it can cause multiple health problems.

Who has it:     
17 Million Americans.
5 million of them don't even know it. Nearly 1 million new cases are diagnosed each year. Being overweight and inactive dramatically increases the chances of developing type 2 diabetes.

Consequences:    
In 2002, the estimated total cost of diabetes in the United States was $132 billion. Diabetes is one of the leading causes of kidney failure. Diabetes can cause immediate problems like dehydration and diabetic coma. Longer term, it may lead to heart attack, stroke, kidney failure, blindness, or amputation. As covered by the New York Times (2008), a recent JAMA study showed that “73% of those who had weight loss surgery had complete remissions of diabetes, meaning all signs of the disease went away. By contrast, the remission rate was only 13% in those given conventional treatment, which included intensive counseling on diet and exercise for weight loss, and, when needed, diabetes medicines like insulin, metformin and other drugs.”