What is Type 2 Diabetes?
Type 2 diabetes is high blood sugar levels due to your body not making enough of a hormone called insulin, or the insulin it makes not working properly - known as insulin resistance.
​High blood sugar levels over time can cause other health problems like heart attacks and strokes, as well as problems with your eyes, kidneys, and feet. These are called diabetes complications.
So treatment includes regular health checks and getting support to be active, eat healthily, and maintain a healthy weight. You may need to take medication including insulin and check your blood sugars regularly too. 
Type 2 diabetes can go undiagnosed for years if you don’t have symptoms or your symptoms are missed.
Type 2 Diabetes Symptoms
What are the first warning signs and symptoms of type 2 diabetes?
A lot of people don’t get any signs or symptoms of type 2 diabetes – or don’t notice them. Symptoms can include:
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Weeing a lot, especially at night.
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Being really thirsty.
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Feeling more tired than usual.
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Losing weight without trying to – and getting thinner.
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Genital itching or thrush.
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Cuts and wounds taking longer to heal.
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Blurred eyesight.
What causes Type 2 Diabetes?
Type 2 diabetes is high blood sugar levels caused by a lack of a hormone called insulin. Either your body isn’t making enough or the insulin it makes doesn’t work properly. This is sometimes called insulin resistance.
Lack of insulin causes glucose from what you eat or drink to build up in your blood. So you may get symptoms of type 2 diabetes.
If you have enough insulin or it is working properly, the glucose in your blood should be released into your cells to give you energy.
If you do not have enough insulin - or the insulin your body produces is not working properly — the glucose in your blood cannot enter your cells and give you energy. And your blood sugar levels keep rising.
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The main causes of type 2 diabetes are:
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Living with obesity or overweight.
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Your waist measurement is unhealthy for your gender or ethnicity
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Too much fat stored in or around your liver and pancreas – which can affect people of a healthy weight as well as people living with obesity or overweight.
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Other factors that put you at greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes include high blood pressure, age, ethnicity and family history. We call them the risk factors of type 2 diabetes.
What causes type 2 diabetes in children and young people?
Type 2 diabetes in children is less common than it is in adults but the causes are the same. Living with obesity or overweight is the main factor along with ethnicity and family history. There are now more young people (under 18) being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.
Can food causes type 2 diabetes?
Eating certain food can’t cause type 2 diabetes. But there are some foods that increase your risk of developing type 2 diabetes including:
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Sugary drinks
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Refined carbs like white bread, white rice and sugary breakfast cereal
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Red and processed meats like ham and sausages
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Salt, particularly in processed food, (increases blood pressure which increase risk of type 2 diabetes)
Is type 2 diabetes caused by diet?
There is a link between having certain foods and drinks, and an increased risk of type 2 diabetes. These include full sugar fizzy and energy drinks, refined carbs such as white bread, white rice and sugary breakfast cereals and red and processed meats like bacon, ham, sausages, pork, beef and lamb are linked with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes.
Is type 2 diabetes caused by living with obesity and overweight?
Having obesity is the biggest risk factor for developing type 2 diabetes as this can cause insulin resistance. But not everyone who is living with obesity or overweight develops type 2 diabetes as it is also linked to family history (genetics). Around 10% of people with type 2 diabetes have a healthy BMI.
Is type 2 diabetes genetic? (passed down through the family)
If your family has a history of diabetes, it increases your risk of type 2 diabetes. If you have a close blood relative with diabetes, you’re two to six times more likely to develop type 2 diabetes. So that could be a parent, brother, sister or a child.
There’s no one single gene linked to type 2 diabetes. It has been linked to hundreds of genes and increases all the time.
Type 2 Diabetes Treatment
What is the main treatment for type 2 diabetes?
The main treatments for managing blood sugar levels if you have type 2 diabetes are:
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Eating well and moving more
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Weight loss
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Metformin (usually taken as a tablet)
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Insulin along with other medication that helps lower blood sugar levels
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Other types of diabetes medicine that is injected or taken as tablets.
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Weight loss surgery
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Support with your emotional health
When do I need medication for type 2 diabetes?
Some people can manage their type 2 diabetes through healthy eating, being more active or losing weight. And some people have put their type 2 diabetes into remission through weight loss.
Medication may be necessary to put your blood sugar levels in the healthy range. And you may be prescribed diabetes medication that can also help keep your heart healthy. So you may be taking a combination of treatments.
Going for regular check-ups
Type 2 diabetes check-ups help you reduce the risk of other health problems related to diabetes and help spot and manage any problems early.
HBA1C blood test - every 3-6 months
This checks your average blood sugar levels and how close they are to normal.
You have these checks every 3 months when newly diagnosed, then every 6 months once you're stable. This can be done by your GP or diabetes nurse.
Foot check up - at least once a year
Checks if you've lost any feeling in your feet, and for ulcers and infections.
This can be done by your GP, diabetes nurse or podiatrist.
Speak to your GP immediately if you have cuts, bruises or numbness in your feet.
Eyes - every 1-2 years
Checks for damage to blood vessels in your eyes.
These checks are usually by a diabetic eye screening service. They may be once a year or every 2 years, depending on your risk and previous test results.
Speak to your GP immediately if you have blurred vision.
