Causes of Diabetes

Despite all the research done, no one actually knows the specific causes of diabetes. This has created a lot of fears in those who are diabetic. This article proposes to take a look at the causes of diabetes.

a.) GENERAL CAUSES:- The general knowledge is that diabetes develops as a result of the body not having the ability to produce enough insulin. This is usually due to either the failure of the pancreas to generate enough insulin or the body's cells resistance to insulin. Even though we know what leads to the development of diabetes, we have not known why this happens in certain individuals and not others.

b.) GESTATIONAL DIABETES :- There is no known cause for this type of diabetes but it has a strong link with hormonal change that happens during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy. During this period, the placenta will release hormones which inhibit the normal action of insulin to make sure that there is enough glucose for the baby. This increases pregnant women's need for insulin. It is the inability to meet this need that triggers GDM. About 5% of pregnant women develop GDM. Even though we have a good idea of what causes it, we do not know why it affects certain women and not others.

c.) TYPE 1 DIABETES:- This is caused by damage to the pancreas as a result of an auto-immune attack when the immune system of the body begins to fight against the insulin that produces cells for the pancreas. Though the causes of type 1 diabetes is known, what triggers it is yet to be known. Some suggestions have been made. Some of these hold that it is due to viral infection and faulty nerves. But these are currently not universally agreed upon.

d.) TYPE 2 DIABETES AND PRE-DIABETES:- The early form of type 2 diabetes is pre-diabetes. Their causes are similar. Type 2 diabetes evolves when the body begins to reject insulin. When this happens, additional insulin will be produced by the pancreas and inturn the liver will react by releasing more glucose. Like the other types of diabetes, the causes of type 2 and pre-diabetes are unknown. But, type 2 is strongly linked to age, family history, inactivity and largely on obesity.

There are a number of false opinions on the the causes of diabetes. These are stress, contagion, sugar intake and so on. The truth is that none of these have been proved to cause diabetes. They can only aggravate it. The best bet is to keep your weight under control, exercise regularly and eat healthy diet. These at least will help prevent diabetes since we do not know the direct causes.

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