About Diabetes
Type 2: Insulin Resistant With an Overworked Pancreas
Although many consider it a more easily managed condition, type 2 diabetes should not be taken lightly. It often goes undiagnosed for five or more years, so when you are diagnosed with it, you may already be experiencing some diabetes-related health problems. Generally, its onset is caused by insulin resistance (meaning that your insulin doesn’t work effectively) and loss of insulin production over time, the combination of which leaves your beta cells unable to keep up with insulin demands. The good news is that becoming more physically active makes your insulin work better, which explains why exercise and dietary changes early on are often effective in controlling it. Unfortunately, about 40 percent of people with type 2 diabetes end up eventually needing some supplemental insulin to control their blood sugars. A related type, gestational diabetes, which is commonly diagnosed during the last trimester of a woman’s pregnancy, usually goes away after she gives birth, but having it greatly increases her risk for later developing type 2 diabetes.
Content reprinted with permission: Diabetic Athlete's Handbook, Your Guide to Peak Performance, by Dr. Sheri Colberg. Human Kinetics, November 2008.
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