Causes of diabetes can be due to any defect in 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, still managed to identify 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:
- The pancreas is not able to produce enough insulin and causes diabetes.
- The body does not correctly respond to insulin (that is not sensitive to insulin), a condition called "insulin resistance," which causes diabetes.
- Alternatively, both insulin shortage and insulin resistance causes 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 a metabolic disorder that happens during the later stages of pregnancy. It is difficult to pinpoint the gestational diabetes causes, but have some clues of its origins.
The fetus provides with necessary nutrition via the placenta during pregnancy. Placenta not only supplying the feeding 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 a high level of blood glucose. It usually begins about 20 to 24th weeks of pregnancy.
Does overeating sugar develop diabetes?
Diabetes type 1 can develop by unknown factors that trigger the onset. Type 2 develops based on how many risk factor you have and how severe it is. Taking too much sugar is considering as one of the risk factors for type 2 diabetes; however, that alone will not develop type 2 diabetes.
Eating sugar, sweets, or desserts do not cause diabetes. Unhealthy eating habit is one of the risk factors for diabetes. However, that alone does not cause diabetes, still when in combination with other diabetes risk factors that can cause diabetes. If you eat right and exercise regularly, then you can reduce your risk of developing diabetes type 2.