Final answer:
The primary defect in type 2 diabetes is not autoimmune destruction of the beta cells in the pancreas. Rather, it is insulin resistance and impaired insulin secretion.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement, 'The primary defect in type 2 diabetes is autoimmune destruction of the beta cells in the pancreas,' is False.
Type 2 diabetes is usually caused by a combination of insulin resistance and impaired insulin secretion due to a variety of environmental and genetic factors. It is not an autoimmune disease like type 1 diabetes, where the immune system attacks the insulin-secreting beta cells of the pancreas. Instead, in type 2 diabetes, the body becomes resistant to the effects of insulin, and the pancreas may not produce enough insulin to compensate for this resistance.
Therefore, the primary defect in type 2 diabetes is insulin resistance and impaired insulin secretion, not autoimmune destruction of the beta cells in the pancreas.