What Causes Diabetes?

What causes diabetes? Diabetes (diabetes mellitus) is a type of metabolism disorder. Metabolism is defined as the process by which our bodies use digested food in order to develop energy and to promote growth. What people eat gets broken down into glucose which is a type of sugar found in the blood. Glucose is people's primary source of fuel.

Glucose in blood gives people the energy to perform their everyday activities –walk around the block, run a mile, ride a bike, take a dance class, or ordinary chores such as taking the garbage out. From the foods you take in, the glucose in your blood is produced by your liver.

In a normal, healthy person, the glucose level in the blood is regulated by different kinds of hormones, such as insulin. The pancreas produces insulin and other enzymes to help in digestion. Insulin will allow glucose to travel from the blood into your liver, muscles, and fat cells where it is used up for body fuel.

How Diabetes Works

People diagnosed with diabetes will either not have the capacity to produce enough insulin (Type 1 diabetes), their bodies cannot use the insulin properly (Type 2 diabetes) or, even both. In diabetes, the glucose in the blood cannot reach the cells so it just remains in the blood. This endangers the cells, which are in need of glucose for their energy. Other tissues and organs are also harmed due to high glucose levels.

Sugar as the main trigger of diabetes is probably the biggest misconception about the disease. It is true that if you have the disease you will need to closely monitor your carbohydrate and sugar intake to effectively manage your sugar levels. However, if you are not suffering from diabetes, consuming sugar will not cause you to develop the disease.

So does it mean you can eat as much dessert as you please? No. Although sugar does not directly cause diabetes, too many calories do. Keep in mind, a diet that is high in calories is one of the main risk factors for diabetes (type 2). Excessive caloric intake typically results in obesity 

What Causes Diabetes?

So, what causes diabetes? The following are the major causes of diabetes:

• Genetics or hereditary traits – Scientists believe that, due to the passing on of genes from one generation to another, an individual can inherit diabetes. This will depend on the closeness of the blood relationship. So if both mother and father have the disease, the greater the chances that their child will develop diabetes as well.
• Age – The older a person is, the higher the possibility of developing diabetes. Diabetes may develop at any age but 80 percent of diabetes cases occur after the age of 50. Diabetes incidences will increase with age. 
• Malnutrition or poor diet – Lack of nutrition, low intake of fiber and protein, plus the high intake of processed and refined food products are major reasons for the occurrence of diabetes.
• Obesity – When you are overweight, that is if your body fat is more than 30 percent (a 35 inch waist for females and a 40 inch waist for males), your body will experience increased resistance to insulin.  
• Inactive Lifestyle – Those who have sedentary lifestyles are more likely to have diabetes as compared to those who actively exercise at least three times a week. Those who exercise regularly are less prone to developing diabetes.  
• Stress – Emotional or physical disturbances are commonly blamed factors for causing diabetes.
• Drugs – There are several drugs that are known to potentially induce diabetes including Quetiapine (Seroquel), clozapine (Clozaril), ziprasidone (Geodon), risperidone (Risperdal), and olanzapine (Zyprexa)
• Infection – Straphylococci is supposedly responsible for causing infection in the pancreas thus affecting insulin production.  
• Gender – Diabetes is more common in elderly men or women with multiple pregnancies or those suffering from Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. 
• Hypertension – Studies have shown that high blood pressure is directly related to diabetes.
• Lipoproteins and Serum lipids – High cholesterol and triglyceride levels in the blood are connected to high blood sugar levels.