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.
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 location of body fat also makes a difference. Excessive belly fat is linked to insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, and heart and blood vessel diseases.
To see if your weight puts you at risk for type 2 diabetes, check out these body mass index (BMI) tables. Type 2 diabetes usually starts with insulin resistance, a condition in which muscles, liver, and fat cells don't use insulin well. As a result, the body needs more insulin to help glucose enter cells. At first, the pancreas produces more insulin to meet the additional demand.
Over time, the pancreas cannot produce enough insulin and blood glucose levels increase. Hormones produced by the placenta contribute to insulin resistance, which occurs in all women late in pregnancy. Most pregnant women can produce enough insulin to overcome insulin resistance, but some cannot. Gestational diabetes occurs when the pancreas can't produce enough insulin.
As with type 2 diabetes, being overweight is related to gestational diabetes. Women who are overweight or obese may already have insulin resistance when they become pregnant. Gaining too much weight during pregnancy can also be a factor. Some hormonal diseases cause the body to produce too much of certain hormones, sometimes leading to insulin resistance and diabetes.
The real cause of diabetes is too much insulin, not too much blood sugar. In other words, high blood sugar is a symptom, but not the main cause. The cause of diabetes, regardless of type, is that too much glucose circulates in the blood stream. However, the reason your blood glucose levels are high varies depending on the type of diabetes.
Type 2 diabetes is due to a combination of genetic and lifestyle factors. Being overweight or obese also increases your risk. Being overweight, especially in the abdomen, makes cells more resistant to the effects of insulin on blood sugar. In the eyes, this means that the blood vessels in the retina (the area of the eye that provides vision) remain intact.
Instead, we'll briefly review the major classes of drugs available, how they work, and present the names of some drugs in each class. Yes, it is possible that if diabetes is not diagnosed and controlled (glucose levels that are too high or too low), it can cause devastating damage to the body. If your blood glucose level remains high for a long time, your body's tissues and organs can be severely damaged.
