Cause Of Diabetes

QUESTION: Cause of diabetes - What are the major causes?

ANSWER:

Scientists are still working on the cause of diabetes. Since there are different types of diabetes, each type has a unique possible cause.

The main cause of diabetes is the body’s failure to produce enough of the insulin hormone. Another cause could be that the body develops a resistance to insulin.

• Type I diabetes is caused by decreased insulin production.
• Type II is insulin resistant in peripheral tissues.
• In juvenile diabetes, the cause could be a lack of vitamin D.

There is also gestational diabetes that only occurs in pregnant women. These are only a few of the different types of diabetes.

It is suspected that there may be many contributors to diabetes. Genetics, environmental factors, obesity, lack of exercise, and high fat diets are just a few causes linked to diabetes. You cannot become a diabetic just because you eat a lot of sugars and candies, but if you are predisposed to the disease these factors may raise your risk of becoming a diabetic.

A sedentary lifestyle can also lead to diabetes, since the body cannot perform as well as someone in good physical condition.

Most scientists believe that you must be born predisposed to this disease. In other words, your body is more susceptible because of the genetic make-up of your ancestors. If your parents, grandparents, or siblings have diabetes you are at greater risk. However, this is dependant upon the type of diabetes.

The cause of diabetes may seem to be elusive, but with the direction of science and how far we’ve come in the last 100 years, the answer could be right around the corner.