What's the Treatment?

There is no cure for type 2 diabetes, but medical treatment and lifestyle modification can significantly reduce the long-term complications and risks associated with type 2 diabetes.

The main goal of treating type 2 diabetes is to get blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels within normal limits to reduce the risk of complications down the road. Possible type 2 diabetes complications include heart attack, heart attack, blindness, stroke, kidney failure, and possibly leg amputations from decreased blood flow.

For some, normal blood sugar may be accomplished through weight loss, eating a healthy diet, and regular exercise. For others, medications may be required.

But any treatment plan for type 2 diabetes requires regularly checking blood-sugar levels. According to the American Diabetes Association, blood-sugar levels should be between 80 and 120 before meals and between 100 and 140 at bedtime. In the U.S., units to measure blood sugar levels are given in milligrams per deciliter or mg/dL.

If weight loss, a healthy diet, and exercise don't work to maintain normal blood sugar levels, people with type 2 diabetes are then treated with pills or insulin or a combination of both. There are several different classes of pills used to treat type 2 diabetes -- each works in one of three ways:

• Increasing production of insulin from the pancreas
• Increasing the body's sensitivity to insulin -- in other words, decreasing insulin resistance
• Delay the digestion of carbohydrates, thereby resulting in a smaller rise in blood sugar levels following meals

Because each of the classes works differently, they may be used in combination to achieve the best results.

If good blood sugar levels aren't achieved with pills alone, people with type 2 diabetes may need insulin to be added to their medications. Insulin is usually given as one or more injections daily. Some people with type 2 diabetes may choose to use an insulin pump, which allows some people to control their blood sugar without insulin injections. An insulin inhaler is also an option. In January 2006 Exubera became the first inhaled insulin to get FDA approvalExubera became the first inhaled insulin to get FDA approval.

The success of type 2 diabetes treatments can also be checked by a blood test called a hemoglobin A1c. The hemoglobin A1c blood test tells the patient and the doctor how well blood sugar has been controlled over the last few months. The test is done every three months or more -- depending on how well blood sugar has been controlled.