Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes. Millions of Americans have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, and many others are unaware that they are at high risk.

Some groups are at a higher risk for developing type 2 diabetes. Experts say it’s more common in African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans and Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders, as well as the aged population.

In type 2 diabetes, either the body does not produce enough insulin, or the cells ignore the insulin. Insulin is necessary for the body to be able to use glucose for energy. When you eat food, the body breaks down all of the sugars and starches into glucose, the basic fuel for cells in the body.

Insulin takes the sugar from the blood into the cells, and when glucose builds up in the blood instead of going into cells, it can lead to diabetes complications.

Diabetes can increase the risk for other serious health problems. Complications from diabetes can affect different segments of the population disproportionately. Diabetes can especially be hard on women.

The burden of diabetes on women is unique because the disease can affect both mothers and their unborn children. Diabetes can cause difficulties during pregnancy such as a miscarriage or a baby born with birth defects. Women with diabetes are also more likely to have a heart attack, and at a younger age, than women without diabetes.

Compared to the general population, African Americans are disproportionately affected by diabetes. African Americans are almost 50 percent as likely to develop diabetic retinopathy, blindness, as non-Hispanic whites. They are 2.6 to 5.6 times as likely to suffer from kidney disease with more than 4,000 new cases of End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) each year and 2.7 times as likely to suffer from lower-limb amputations. Amputation rates are 1.4 to 2.7 times higher in men than women with diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes can be prevented or delayed through a healthy lifestyle by changing one's diet, increasing the level of physical activity and maintaining a healthy weight. A comprehensive physical activity routine involves three kinds of activities: aerobic, strength training and flexibility exercise.

A few healthy food choices include eating lots of vegetables and fruits, choosing whole grain foods over processed grain products, eating dried beans such as lentils, eating fish at least two to three times a week, choosing lean meats like cuts of beef and pork that end in "loin" such as pork loin and sirloin and cutting back on high calorie snack foods and desserts like chips, cookies, cakes and full-fat ice cream.