What Causes Type 2 Diabetes?
There are many different forms of diabetes, but they all have to do with the body’s relationship with insulin. The most common form of diabetes is Type 2 diabetes, and those affected by Type 2 diabetes comprise about eighty-five to ninety-five percent of the diabetic community. How is it that so many people have Type 2 diabetes? In order to understand that, it is important to understand the causes of this very common form of a very dangerous disease. Read on to learn more about the causes of Type 2 diabetes:
Insulin resistance. People with Type 2 diabetes have a condition known as insulin resistance. The term “insulin resistance” is used to describe the body’s inability to produce and/or respond appropriately to insulin. Either the pancreas produces too little insulin, or the body fails to recognize insulin and as a result the pancreas produces too much insulin. Insulin regulates the amount of glucose your body allows into your bloodstream. Too much or too little glucose in the bloodstream can lead to a number of problematic health conditions; therefore, insulin resistance is a very dangerous circumstance.
Risk factors. There are a number of risk factors – some genetic – that lead to the onset of Type 2 diabetes. If you have a combination of any of these risk factors, then you should be especially conscious of any diabetic warning signs. Risk factors include: family history of diabetes, over 45 years of age, specific ethnicity (Hispanic, Native American, African American, or Asian), hypertension, metabolic syndrome, obesity, and abnormal cholesterol levels.
Lifestyle causal factors. Overeating and a sedentary lifestyle are the most damaging lifestyle factors when it comes to the development of Type 2 diabetes. Why? Well, when you eat a lot, you take in a lot of sugars. As a result, your body may become desensitized to sugar – in effect, it cannot register sugars properly. When that happens, your pancreas begins to put out too much or too little insulin to compensate for the perceived sugar imbalance.
This leads to a vicious cycle of insulin over or under production. A person who does not get enough exercise (or who is sedentary) is not doing enough to help the body burn excess fat, and excess fat stores excess glucose. For that reason, sedentary lifestyle is also one of the top factors associated with the development of Type 2 diabetes.
As you can see, there are some very specific causes for Type 2 diabetes, and fortunately for you, most of these causes are within your control. The best thing you can do to prevent the onset of Type 2 diabetes, or to keep it under control, is to eat right and stay active. Your overall health and wellness depends on it.
About the Author: Bryon Diercks is a phlebotomist training student who has type 2 diabetes. He works hard each day to monitor his blood sugar levels and make healthy diet and lifestyle choices. To this day, he has been able to control his diabetes without medication.
Image Credit: 1.
