Type 2 is the most common type of diabetes. There are about 29 million people in the U.S. with type 2. Another 84 million have prediabetes, meaning their blood sugar (or blood glucose) is high but not high enough to be diabetes yet.

What is the difference between Type 1 and type 2 diabetes?

People with type 1 diabetes don't produce insulin. You can think of it as not having a key. People with type 2 diabetes don't respond to insulin as well as they should and later in the disease often don't make enough insulin.

Is type 2 diabetes serious?

Type 2 diabetes is a serious condition where the insulin your pancreas makes can't work properly, or your pancreas can't make enough insulin. This means your blood glucose (sugar) levels keep rising.