Which statement about Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus is true?

• A. Insulin resistance or damaged beta cells unable to produce sufficient insulin
• B. No insulin production
• C. Autoimmune destruction of beta cells
• D. Absence of glucagon production

Answer: (A)

In Type 2 diabetes, the core issue is insulin resistance in body tissues combined with impaired insulin secretion by the beta cells. The pancreas still makes insulin, but the tissues don’t respond to it effectively, and over time the beta cells can’t keep up with the demand, leading to relative (not absolute) insulin deficiency. This combination drives the elevated blood glucose typical of type 2.

The other scenarios don’t fit this pattern: having no insulin production would be more like absolute deficiency seen in some cases of type 1 diabetes; autoimmune destruction of beta cells is the hallmark of type 1, not type 2; and a complete absence of glucagon isn’t a feature of type 2—glucagon levels can be inappropriately high or not properly suppressed, contributing to glucose production by the liver.