Insulin is a hormone made by your pancreas. It acts like a key to let blood sugar into cells in your body for use as energy. If you have type 2 diabetes, cells don’t respond normally to insulin. This is called insulin resistance.
Your pancreas makes more insulin to try to get cells to respond. Over time your pancreas can’t keep up, and your blood sugar rises, setting the stage for prediabetes and type 2 diabetes.
You’re at risk for type 2 diabetes if you:
Have prediabetes
Are overweight
Age 45 years or older
Have a parent, brother, or sister with type 2 diabetes
Are physically active less than 3 times a week
Have ever had gestational diabetes or given birth to a baby who weighed 9 pounds or more
Are an African American, Hispanic or Latino, American Indian, or Alaska Native person
Have non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
You can prevent or delay type 2 diabetes with proven lifestyle changes. These include losing weight if you have overweight, creating healthy eating patterns, and getting regular physical activity.
