Treatment Overview

The key to treating your type 2 diabetes is keeping your blood sugar as close to your target levels as you can with diet, exercise, and maybe medicines if you need them. This can help you stay healthy and lower your risk of complications. Try to:

• Make healthy food choices.Eat a balanced diet. Try to manage the amount of carbohydrate you eat. If you are overweight, losing weight may also help you control your blood sugar. For help, see the topics:

  Quick Tips: Smart Snacking When You Have Diabetes.

  Diabetes: Using a Plate Format for Eating.

  Diabetes: Counting Carbs If You Don't Use Insulin.

• Be active.The more active you are, the more sugar (glucose) your body uses for energy. This keeps the sugar from building up in your blood. For help getting active, see the topics:

  Quick Tips: Getting Active at Home.

  Fitness: Adding More Activity to Your Life.

  Fitness: Walking for Wellness.

• Test your blood sugar levels.You have a better chance of keeping your blood sugar in your target range if you know what it is from day to day. The American Diabetes Association (ADA) recommends that you keep your blood sugar levels at:
  • 70 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) to 130 mg/dL before meals, when using a fingertip blood test.
  • Less than 180 mg/dL 1 to 2 hours after meals, using the fingertip test. For help, see the topic:

  Diabetes: Checking Your Blood Sugar.

• Keephigh blood pressure andhigh cholesterol under control. Doing so can lower your risk of heart disease and stroke. See the topics:

  Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes (TLC) for high cholesterol.

  High Blood Pressure: Checking Your Blood Pressure at Home.

• Take medicines, such as metformin (Glucophage) or insulin, if you need them. See the topic:

  Diabetes: Giving Yourself an Insulin Shot.

• Quit smoking, if you smoke. Quitting smoking can help you reduce your risk of having a heart attack or stroke. For help, see the topic:

  Quitting Smoking: Getting Support.

Tests you will need as part of your treatment

See your doctor about every 3 to 6 months to:

• Have a blood glucose test. Your doctor may check your blood sugar meter to find out if your home blood sugar tests are reliable. He or she may also check your blood sugar levels to see if your treatment needs to be changed since your last visit.
• Check your blood pressure and start or adjust treatment if it's high.
• Check your feet for signs of foot problems.
• Have a hemoglobin A1c. If your blood sugar levels are stable and your treatment hasn't changed, this test may be done every 6 months.

Have these exams and tests every year:

• An eye exam by an ophthalmologist or qualified optometrist. Some doctors may recommend less frequent eye exams if you have no signs of diabetic retinopathy.
• A cholesterol and triglyceride test. If your levels are normal, you may be tested every 2 years.
• A urine test for protein. This test is important for finding and keeping track of kidney problems (diabetic nephropathy).

You can print out a list of tests to monitor diabetes to help you remember what to do and when.

Why treatment and testing are important

Untreated type 2 diabetes can lead to serious health problems. People with diabetes have a higher risk of dying from heart and blood vessel diseases than people who don't have the disease.⁴ That's why it's important to take charge of your diabetes as soon as you find out you have it—even if you feel fine.

With diabetes, you're in charge. It's up to you to eat right, get active, and keep your blood sugar levels on target. It seems like a lot to do at first. Start with one or more changes. Your might first focus on checking your blood sugar regularly and being active more often. Then work on the other tasks as you can.

For help and how-tos, see the Home Treatment section of this topic.