There is a common misconception among people that eating candy, foods high in sugars and other ‘unhealthy’ foods is the cause of diabetes. This is completely false and although a bad diet can lead to diabetes, having a sweet tooth does not mean you will end up with diabetes. This doesn’t mean however that you can go ahead and fill up on dessert. There are two types of diabetes, Type 1 and Type 2diabetes. Each sub-type has different causes and affect people of different ages. Learning the cause of diabetes or the environmental factors that lead to diabetes can better prepare you to lower your risk of developing the disease.

Type 1 And Type 2, The Difference

The cause of type 1 diabetes is still unknown to doctors and researchers. Type 1 diabetes is also called juvenile diabetes, diabetes mellitus, insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, sugar diabetes or brittle diabetes. This type of diabetes is usually found in children and young adults, typically those below the age of thirty are found to have this type of the disease.

It is believed that people are genetically predisposed to developing type 1 diabetes. Another cause of type 1 diabetes is when the body attacks the cells in the pancreas that produce insulin, which results in the body not producing insulin anymore. Researchers and doctors are not sure why this occurs. There is nothing that can be done to prevent type 1 diabetes, it is an autoimmune disease.

A person who has type 2 diabetes still produces insulin but develops a resistance to insulin. Tissues in the body, such as muscles, do not respond to insulin and cannot use insulin to utilise glucose properly in the blood. Other organs such as the liver, along with the usual insulin-producing organ: the pancreas will increase insulin production. Finally the pancreas is unable to produce any more insulin and the tissues become even more insulin resistant.

Lifestyle is a cause of type 2 diabetes, those who are overweight and physically inactive are at risk of this disease. Particularly those who have fat that is concentrated on the abdomen. This disease usually affects people later in life and is often called late-onset diabetes. The average age of people diagnosed with this type of diabetes was thought to be 52. However the average age of diagnosis is becoming lower as lifestyle habits change. Having high cholesterol or high blood pressure also increases the chances of developing this disease.

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