Aim 1: To test whether orally-administered NEI adjunctive therapy in obese, IR T2D subjects improves insulin sensitivity, glucoregulation and glycemic control. The primary endpoint is the improvement of insulin sensitivity at 6 months compared to baseline, assessed by the hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp method. Secondary endpoints will include: i) Safety (rate and severity of adverse events including hypoglycemia); ii) Glycemic and metabolic control variables; iii) Assessment of functional beta cell mass (improvement in baseline oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) C-peptide levels and AUC, insulin secretion rate (ISR), body mass and body fat-corrected insulin sensitivity; and iv) Changes in inflammatory variables. Exploratory endpoints will include improvement of OGTT C-peptide (and C-peptide AUC) trajectory, ISR trajectory, and decreased dose and dose frequency of background drugs.