What Can I Eat If I Have Type 2 Diabetes? Amy Gorin, MS, RDN
Replay Video
Understanding type 2 diabetes
Millions in fact, about 31 to 32 million of Americans have type 2 diabetes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Most often, this chronic disease affects people older than age 45, but that doesn t mean younger folks or even children can t develop it. It s more common in people who are overweight or obese.
When you have type 2 diabetes, the cells in your body don t respond normally to insulin. As a result, glucose (sugar) from your food can t enter your cells. (This is known as insulin resistance.) It builds up in the blood instead. Sensing high levels of sugar in your blood, your pancreas makes more insulin. But your cells still don t respond to the insulin, and your blood sugar level continues to rise. When your blood sugar gets high enough, it s considered type 2 diabetes.