Finally, we come to T2 – Type 2 DM. This is INSULIN RESISTANT DM; this is NOT caused by a lack of insulin – it’s caused by cellular resistance to the action of insulin. Over 90% of all “diabetics” are T2s. Insulin’s “job” is to transfer glucose (the fuel our bodies run on) from the bloodstream (the body’s “delivery system”) into the cells. When the cells resist that action – too much glucose gets “left behind” in the bloodstream, and too little gets into the cells. To respond to this – their bodies OVERPRODUCE insulin. ALL T2s, at diagnosis, are producing MORE THAN NORMAL amounts of insulin. As a matter of fact, the diagnostic tool to determine whether a patient is a T1, a T3c, or a T2 is a C-peptide test. C-peptide is produced in conjunction with, and proportionate to, insulin; and it’s EASY (and cheap) to test for – unlike insulin, which is harder and more expensive to test for. So the C-peptide test is used a proxy for an insulin test. When a patient shows up with elevated BG (Blood Glucose) levels, the C-peptide is used to determine their type.
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