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properly use the insulin it does make (this is called insulin resistance). Most people with type 2 diabetes are insulin resistant, so we’ll focus here. What does “insulin resistant” mean? When we eat carbohydrates (foods such as cereal, fruit, starchy vegeta- bles, pasta, rice, bread, cookies, or muffins), our bodies convert the food into blood sugar (glucose) to give us the energy we need to maintain life. Our blood carries this glucose to all the cells in our body (fat, muscle, and organ cells). Insulin, produced by beta cells in the pancreas, is the hormone that lets that glucose into our cells. Insulin acts much like a key, unlocking cells to let in the glucose. Once glucose enters a cell, that cell has three options for how to use it: it can immediately use the glucose for energy; it can store the glucose form called glycogen for use in the near future; or it can convert the glucose into fat for long-term energy storage. As cells take in the glucose, overall glucose levels in the blood drop, signaling the pancreas to stop making insulin. (Otherwise cells would keep letting in more blood sugar and deplete blood-glucose levels to an unhealthy low, a condition called hypoglycemia.)

28 / Health Issues Caused by Obesity