Type 2 diabetes is a chronic metabolic disorder characterized by high blood sugar levels due to insulin resistance and relative insulin deficiency. It is commonly seen in older adults over 45 but increasingly in younger people due to obesity and lack of exercise. The condition results from the body not properly responding to insulin and eventually not producing enough insulin. It can be diagnosed through hemoglobin A1C levels or glucose tolerance tests and is treated through medications, lifestyle changes, and education to control this growing epidemic for which there is currently no cure.