Reasons for Diabetes

Diabetes is a chronic and debilitating disease marked by high levels of blood sugar. There are two types of diabetes: Type 1 and Type 2. Type 1 diabetes usually affects children and young adults, while Type 2 affects adults mostly and accounts for about 90 to 95 percent of all diagnosed cases. In addition to sugar overload, other factors associated with diabetes include insulin deficiency, genetics, age, ethnicity, diet, physical inactivity, obesity and pregnancy. Sugar Overload and Insulin Deficiency Blood sugar overload due to deficiencies in insulin activity is the primary cause of diabetes. The beta-cells of the pancreas produce the hormone insulin in response to detected increases in blood glucose. The hormone controls how the human body uses sugar for energy. The disease prevents cells in the body from getting adequate energy to function properly. Insulin deficiency is usually due to inadequate production and secretion of the hormone by pancreatic beta cells, or resistance to the actions of insulin in the liver, muscles and fat. Family History and Ethnicity Diabetes is typically associated with family history. According to the American Diabetes Association, a person with a family history of diabetes is more likely to develop the condition than someone without a family history of the disease. Diabetes runs in families partly due to the effect of inherited genes and partly due to the tendency of children learning the bad habits of physical inactivity and poor diet from their parents. Diabetes hardly affects a person who has no diabetes in his immediate family or someone who constantly eats a healthy diet. It is now well-recognized that diabetes affects more African Americans, Hispanic/Latino Americans, Native Americans, Pacific Islanders and Asian-Americans, when compared with white Americans. Other Risk Factors Other risk factors for diabetes include age, diet, sedentary lifestyle, obesity and pregnancy. The chance of developing diabetes increases as people age. The majority of Americans diagnosed with diabetes are older than 60. The aging process, combined with poor diet and lack of physical activity, are huge contributors to the disease. Many people are overfed, undernourished and do not exercise regularly. The diabetes epidemic among Americans is linked to the rising obesity epidemic in the general population. Both epidemics are due to sedentary lifestyles coupled with unhealthy diets, especially the consumption of fast foods and restaurant menus loaded with high calories from carbohydrates, fats and sugar. As body weight increases, so does the chance for diabetes. Diabetes rarely affects people who are physically active, who eat healthy diet and who maintain normal weight, according to the National Institute on Aging and the National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse reports. Some women develop diabetes during pregnancy. This form of diabetes is called gestational diabetes. It occurs more frequently among African Americans, American Indians, Hispanic or Latino Americans who are overweight and those with a family history of diabetes. According to the National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse, women diagnosed with gestational diabetes have a 40 to 60 percent chance of developing full-blown diabetes later in life. References • American Diabetes Association • National Diabetes Education Program • National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse • National Institute on Aging Photo Credit sucre en morceaux image by monregard from Fotolia.com About this Author Paul Mgbonyebi is a stress biologist and research scientist with a Ph.D. in physiology and extensive experience in scientific communications and medical publications. He is skillful in writing for both lay and medical audiences. Mgbonyebi’s expertise includes oncology, endocrinology, metabolic diseases, complimentary and alternative medicine, nutrition and immunology.