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Introduction
Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes. Decreased production and utilization of insulin characterizes Type 2 diabetes. Unlike Type 1, the body does produce insulin, but cannot use it effectively (insulin resistance). Insulin resistance and the relative lack of insulin production result in Type 2. Type 2 diabetics may or may not need to inject insulin during their lifetime. Although the exact cause is unknown, Type 2 is considered a disease of genetic predisposition with additional causal factors prompting onset. Type 2 does not involve an autoimmune destruction of ß-cells. The identification of several risk factors has been a positive step in the fight against Type 2. It is unknown whether focusing on intervention strategies based solely on non-genetic risk factors will result in a cure. (3,5,18,19)
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