Roy Nashiro thinks the stress of work contributed to the deterioration of his type 2 diabetes.

Nashiro, a 59-year-old accountant from Makakilo, had to change jobs this year "and with the stress, everything got worse."

He had been taking oral insulin for five years. But this year, Nashiro's blood glucose levels started running over 200 milligrams per deciliter — about twice the desired level.

So under doctor's orders, Nashiro had to start injecting himself with insulin twice a day.

"It scared me," Nashiro said.

Like other diabetics, he blamed his worsening condition on common factors: "Stress, I love to eat and I wasn't getting enough exercise."