Causes of Diabetes

Remember we said that there are two types of diabetes? This means their causes will be slightly different. Let us look at Type 1 first:

Causes of Type1 diabetes:
Researchers are still working hard to learn what exactly causes this type. A few factors have been suggested though.

Autoimmune condition:
This is when your immune system mistakes the cells in the pancreas as bad cells and works to destroy them. Continued destruction means the pancreas cells are completely wiped out and no longer able to produce insulin.

Genetic:
Researchers also believe that it can be inherited from parents. There is a 6% chance of getting a Type1 if a family member has it.

Causes of Type 2 diabetes:
Below are some risk factors of diabetes (Risk factors make a person more exposed and vulnerable to diabetes)

Age:
Growing older makes many people less active and tend to put on a bit of weight. The older one gets, the higher the chances of getting Type 2 Diabetes

Inheritance:
People with diabetic parents or family members have a 30% chance of getting it too.

Ethnicity:
It is found that people of African, Caribbean and South Asian descent record more cases of diabetes.

Obesity:
Bigger waist lines and abdominal fat is a high risk factor, as fat makes it harder for the cells to respond to insulin. This also causes other complications like Hypertension and Heart Disease. Regular exercise and weight loss could reduce your risk of getting diabetes by more than 50%.