Diabetes is a serious health issue. Oftentimes, when you have diabetes you wonder how and why you developed the disease. You must understand that diabetes are of two kinds and knowing the causes of diabetes will make it easier to treat it or control it.
Type 1 Diabetes Causes
Type 1 diabetes is considered an autoimmune disease. It is commonly called juvenile diabetes because it occurs in children and young adults. It is mainly caused by the lack of insulin as a result of damage of insulin producing beta cells in the pancreas. Beta cell destruction occurs over the years for individuals having type 1 diabetes. However, symptoms of this disease start to appear over a short period of time.
Heredity is another cause of diabetes type 1. Genes may be passed from a biological parent and to his or her child. This is because genes include instructions for developing proteins needed for the cells of the body to function.
Type 1 diabetes is also traced to environmental factors such as foods, toxins and viruses but their role is not exactly known. Diabetes may happen more frequently during the winter when viral infections are common.
Type 2 Diabetes Causes
Like type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes happens when insulin in the body does not function properly. Being overweight and obese, environmental factors and genetic susceptibility are considered triggers of this disease. Genes can also increase the risk of diabetes by increasing the tendency of a person to be overweight and obese.
The intake of high calorie foods are the main causes of obesity and overweight, making it one of the indirect causes of diabetes. Lack of physical activity has also been linked to diabetes. The imbalance between physical activity and high calorie intake can lead to obesity. Central obesity or having excess fat in the abdomen provides an even major risk for insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes as well as for blood vessel and heart ailments.
An abnormal increase in glucose generation by the liver can also lead to high blood glucose levels and eventually diabetes.
Who can have type 2 diabetes? You are at high risk of developing diabetes if you are:
- 45 years of age or older
- with history of high blood pressure or gestational diabetes
- woman who is giving birth to baby weighing 9 pounds or more
- with cardiovascular disorder
- African American, American Indian, Alaska native, Asian American as well as Hispanic/Latino.