What Are The Causes of Diabetes?
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Many people, when they are first diagnosed with diabetes, find themselves wondering, "What are the causes of diabetes?" It is not uncommon to wonder what you have done to "cause" a disease. We often engage in behaviors that we know are bad for us: smoking, drinking, eating a nutritionally "poor" diet. And we all know these behaviors can cause disease.
What Causes Diabetes
To understand what causes diabetes it helps to understand the basics of the disease. What is diabetes? Basically, diabetes is an excess of sugar (glucose) in the blood stream. Over time, this excess sugar causes damage to most of the body's systems. Diabetes can cause blindness, heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, nerve disease (which can result in amputation), along with a host of other, lesser, complications. To first understand the underlying causes of diabetes you need to understand that there are basically two types of diabetes; these are Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes.
Causes of Type 1 Diabetes
Type 1 diabetes can occur at any age, but it is usually diagnosed in children, or young adults. In the past it was called juvenile diabetes. It also used to be called insulin-dependent diabetes. In Type 1 diabetes, the beta cells of the pancreas are unable to produce (enough) insulin for the body to move blood sugar into the cells. The exact cause of Type 1 Diabetes is not known. It is suspected that something triggers an immune response in people who are genetically susceptible to type 1 diabetes. When this occurs, the body's own defense mechanism, the white bloods cells, wind up attacking the insulin-producing pancreatic beta cells. The end result is that the pancreas either creates too little or no insulin. The patient must then take insulin injections in order to be able to manage their blood sugars.
Causes of Type 2 Diabetes
Type 2 diabetes is much more prevalent in society. It accounts for between 90 and 95% off all diabetic cases. Type 2 diabetes occurs because the body is unable to use the insulin it produces effectively. In the past this disease was known as "adult onset diabetes." However, because of rising rates of childhood obesity, and a sedentary lifestyle, it is being diagnosed in children at an alarming rate. Type 2 diabetes is considered a lifestyle disease because it often occurs in people who are overweight. Having excess body weight, especially around the waist, and a low level of activity can significantly increase the risk of developing diabetes. There are additional factors which can be called type 2 diabetes causes. They are referred to as risk factors and include:
- a family history of diabetes
- low HDL cholesterol of less than 35 mg/dL
- high triglyceride levels of greater than 250 mg/dL
- high blood pressure
- previous gestational diabetes (female only)
- polycystic ovarian syndrome (female only)
- being 45 years old or older
- being previously diagnosed as having impaired glucose tolerance by your doctor
- belonging to one or more of the following ethnic groups: Alaska Native, American Indian, Asian American, Black, Hispanic/Latino American, Pacific Islander.
But don't despair, if you have these risk factors, discuss them with your physician. He or she will order a simple blood test to be performed. Once the results are in, you may need to have a second test, or you may be diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. Because many of the causes of Type 2 diabetes are lifestyle factors, you can modify your behavior and possibly affect your diagnosis. Modifying your behavior means eating a healthier diet and exercising more. Often times, when people are first diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, they can manage the disease by making these easy changes, without having to take any medications at all. The longer you can keep your blood sugar low, the longer you can go without experiencing diabetic complications. So it is a good idea to get yourself tested if you have any of the diabetes causes or risk factors identified above. Knowing you have the disease is the first step in treating it.