Most cases of type 2 diabetes are linked to obesity, especially upper body obesity. Although seen mostly in older people (hence the name adult-onset diabetes), the incidence of type 2 diabetes is increasing among younger generations, presumably because of increased obesity, poor diet, and sedentary habits. Exercise and weight loss for the overweight are the first approaches to treating type 2 diabetes, and these measures often lead to management of the disorder. Drugs for increasing insulin production or improving cellular responses to insulin may also be prescribed, with insulin treatment given if necessary.

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) refers to glucose intolerance during pregnancy. This imbalance usually appears in women with a family history of diabetes. Women must be monitored during pregnancy for signs of diabetes mellitus, especially those with predisposing factors, because this condition can cause complications for both the mother and the fetus. Again, ensuring a proper diet is a first step to management, with insulin treatment recommended if needed.

Diabetes is diagnosed by measuring levels of glucose in blood plasma with or without fasting and by monitoring glucose levels in the blood after oral administration of glucose (oral glucose tolerance test; OGTT). Categories of impaired fasting blood glucose (IFG) and impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) are stages between a normal response to glucose and diabetes.

Excess insulin may result from a pancreatic tumor, but more often it occurs after administration of too much hormone to a diabetic patient. The resultant hypoglycemia leads to insulin shock, which is treated by administration of glucose.

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