Type 2 diabetes is closely linked with obesity and it is most common with obese patients aged above 40.

However, recently there has been an increase people in their twenties that have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes due to being overweight and obese. Classification for diabetes allows for patients and healthcare professionals to understand the underlying cause of diabetes this is because type 1 diabetes, which is also known as juvenile diabetes is caused by an autoimmune attack which kills the Langerhans cells in the pancreas that secrete insulin to control whereas in type 2 diabetes insulin is secreted by the pancreas however the amount may be insufficient or it cannot reach its target receptors found on the liver and muscles because of the extensive layer of fat surrounding tissues in obese people. Therefore, the classification of diabetes allows for healthcare professionals to give patients the appropriate medical devices and advice to ensure the blood glucose levels are maintained. Weakness of this classification system that it fails to recognise the increasing number of people who are currently suffering from both type 1 and type 2 diabetes.