Type 2 Diabetes
Type 2 diabetes develops when muscle and liver cells stop responding well to insulin. The pancreas compensates by pumping out more until its beta cells gradually wear out. Roughly one in ten adults now lives with the disease, most from a mix of inherited susceptibility and years of energy surplus. High blood sugar itself damages the cells meant to control it, a self-reinforcing cycle called glucotoxicity. Left unchecked, it damages small blood vessels in the eyes, kidneys, and nerves, and roughly doubles the risk of heart disease. Diagnosis rests on an HbA1c of 6.5 percent or higher, though insulin resistance often builds for years beforehand. Yet substantial weight loss, often around 15 kilograms, can push early disease into remission, making it one of the more reversible major chronic diseases.
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