Type 2 diabetes mellitus - Essay Example

Insulin resistance results due to a resistance offered by the target cells to the effects of insulin. In such cases, insulin is not deficient, instead the target tissues, like the fat, liver and muscle cells fail to respond to insulin; this also results in greater levels of blood glucose, leading to diabetes, as glucose is not stored in these cells. Blood glucose is diagnosed after performing the ‘fasting’ or ‘random’ blood glucose tests. The fasting blood glucose test requires the testing of blood glucose levels early in the morning after an overnight fast.

If it comes more than 126 mg/dl at two different occassions, it is diagnosed as diabetes. Another diagnostic test is called as the ‘glucose tolerance test’ in which the patient is first tested for the fasting blood glucose level; the patient is then offered a glucose solution to drink with a standard preparation and then again blood glucose level is tested after two hours, which is then labelled as higher than normal if it is above 200 mg/dl. A healthy life style includes an increased physical activity and a healthy diet intake.

According to the results of a study published in The New England Journal of Medicine, obesity was described as the single most important risk factor for development of diabetes mallitus. This study showed that a regular exercise, for about half an hour daily atleast five days a week, along with the a low fat and high fiber diet greatly prevented the development of type II diabetes in high risk individuals involved in this study. Some doctors also believe that all individuals having a strong family history of diabets must be screened for their blood sugar levels as soon as they reach the age of thirty years, even if they are symptomless.

This can help prevent them from developing this disease as they can be advised the life style modifications along with anti diabetic medicines if they have higher levels of