About two to four hours after a meal both blood glucose and insulin are at low levels, with insulin being slightly higher. The blood glucose levels are then referred to as fasting blood glucose concentrations . Eventually insulin deficiency is absolute. Without insulin to move glucose into cells, blood glucose levels become excessively high, a condition known as hyperglycemia. Because the body cannot utilize the sugar, it spills over into the urine and is lost.
Patients become dependent on administered insulin for survival.
About 16 million Americans have type 2 diabetes and half are unaware they have it. Most type 2 diabetics produce variable, even normal or high, amounts of insulin, and in the beginning this amount is usually sufficient to overcome such resistance. Over time, the pancreas becomes unable to produce enough insulin to overcome resistance. This effect is now believed to be particularly damaging. Eventually, the cycle of elevated glucose further impairs and possibly destroys beta cells, thereby stopping insulin production completely and causing full-blown diabetes.