Causes of diabetes can be due to any defect in the insulin production, insulin action or both; diabetes is a disease marked by high levels of blood glucose.
What are the causes of diabetes
The exact diabetes causes of both types are still unknown even after many scientific researches. But still managed to identified some general diabetes causes.
Type 2 diabetes causes
In a healthy individual, the pancreas releases insulin to help the body to store and use the glucose from the food; we eat. Type 2 diabetes causes may be one or more of the following:
- pancreas does not able to produce enough insulin and causes diabetes.
- body does not properly respond to insulin (that is not sensitive to insulin), a condition called "insulin resistance," which causes diabetes
- alternatively, both insulin shortage and insulin resistance and cause diabetes.
Type 1 diabetes causes
Some genes may be behind the type 1 diabetes causes, but mostly the following trigger it:
- autoimmune disorder - our body immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas and losing its ability to produce insulin that leads to diabetes.
- pancreas beta cells damaged by cystic fibrosis or pancreatic surgery can cause high blood glucose called diabetes.
Gestational diabetes causes
Gestational diabetes is metabolic disorder happens during the later stages of pregnancy. It is difficult to pinpoint the gestational diabetes causes, but have some clues of its causes.
The fetus provides with necessary nutrition via placenta during pregnancy. Placenta not only supplying the nutrition to the fetus, but also releases some hormones like cortisol and estrogen. These hormones are essential for the health and growth of the fetus. Unfortunately, these hormones block the insulin receptors of the cells, which cause high level of blood glucose. It usually begins about 20 to 24th weeks of pregnancy.