My Diabetes Project – Type 2 diabetes
Diabetes information and services in Europe
http://mydiabetes.eurohealth.ie
Type 2 diabetes used to be called adult-onset diabetes because it was usually diagnosed in middle-aged or older people, but it can still develop in much younger children.
Type 2 diabetes is characterized by insulin resistance, meaning that cells in our fat, liver, and muscles are no longer using insulin to carry glucose into our body’s other cells, leaving them without an energy source. At first, the pancreas is able to keep up with the increased demand for insulin, which temporarily helps glucose enter cells.
After a while, the pancreas stops making enough insulin to process high levels of blood glucose, like those that occur right after eating a meal. At this point, you would be diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes.