Overweight, obesity and physical inactivity You are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes if you are not physically active and are overweight or obese. Excess weight sometimes causes insulin resistance and is common in people with type 2 diabetes. The exact cause of most types of diabetes is unknown. In all cases, sugar builds up in the blood stream.
This is because the pancreas doesn't produce enough insulin. Both type 1 and type 2 diabetes can be caused by a combination of genetic or environmental factors. It's not clear what those factors might be. The body mass index (BMI) is a number calculated from a person's weight and height.
Most health professionals rely on BMI to assess whether their patients are overweight (BMI of 25 or more) or obese (BMI of 30 or more). All overweight adults should talk to their doctor about getting tested for type 2 diabetes. Before developing type 2 diabetes, most people have prediabetes, in which blood sugar levels are higher than normal but not yet high enough to be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. People who have prediabetes have a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
If you have prediabetes, losing a small amount of weight if you're overweight and exercising regularly can reduce your risk of developing type 2 diabetes. A lifestyle change program offered through the CDC-led National Diabetes Prevention Program can help you make those changes and make them stick. Through the program, you can reduce your risk of developing type 2 diabetes by up to 58% (71% if you are 60 years old or older). Genetics, lifestyle, and environment can all be causes of diabetes.
Following an unhealthy diet, being overweight or obese, and not exercising enough can influence the development of diabetes, in particular type 2 diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is caused by an autoimmune response. The body's immune system attacks and destroys insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas.
