Type 2 diabetes (previously called non-insulin-dependent or adult-onset) is responsible for many health complications, including an increased risk of heart disease. All things being equal, diabetes increases the risk of heart disease fivefold in a woman and twofold in a man. In fact, about 80 percent of people with diabetes die of some form of heart disease or stroke.

What Is Type 2 Diabetes?

In type 2 diabetes, the body's cells become resistant to insulin, and the pancreas cannot produce enough insulin to overcome this resistance. Insulin is the hormone that permits blood glucose (sugar) to move into the body's cells, where it's used for energy. Over time, most type 2 diabetics a show decline in insulin production, and blood sugars rise even more.

Are You At Risk?

Millions of Americans have type 2 diabetes and don't know it. How do you know if you are at risk? Here are some indicators:

• You are older than 45 years of age.
• You are overweight.
• You have a family member with type 2 diabetes.
• You exercise fewer than three times a week.
• If you are a woman, you have had a baby weighing more than 9 pounds.
• You are African-American, Native American or Hispanic.

If any of these descriptions fits you, talk to your doctor. You may be sent for a blood glucose test to determine if you have diabetes.

Can You Prevent It?

You can help prevent type 2 diabetes by maintaining your ideal body weight, especially if you have a family history of diabetes. If you already have type 2 diabetes, you can delay or prevent late complications by controlling your blood sugar. You can lower your risk of cardiovascular complications by eliminating risk factors for atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries). These risk factors include high blood pressure, high blood levels of cholesterol and triglycerides, cigarette smoking and obesity.

How Is It Treated?

Treatment typically begins with weight reduction through diet and exercise. In addition to calorie restriction, the key elements of a diabetic diet are similar to the diet traditionally used to lower cholesterol and prevent cardiovascular disease. When diet and exercise are not enough, oral medications can lower blood sugar by one of three ways: releasing more insulin from the pancreas, increasing tissue responses to insulin or delaying the absorption of sugars from the intestine. Small doses of insulin taken before bed may be used to help prevent the release of glucose from the liver during sleep. In advanced type 2 diabetes, insulin may be needed more than once per day and in higher doses.