|

Author:
Ray Lunaburg

Before studying the causes of diabetes you must understand what is diabetes? Diabetes is a disease caused by hormonal imbalance. Insulin is helpful in supply of sugar to various parts of the body. When the beta cells in either produce low quantities of insulin or does not produce insulin in the pancreas, such a stage is called diabetes. In other cases the insulin is produced in the pancreas but the blood cells do not respond to the insulin. This factor of insulin imbalance leads to diabetes.

Diabetes is classified in different categories based on the above factors. They are commonly known as Type-1 & Type-2 Diabetes.

In Type-1 Diabetes the insulin is not produced in the pancreas. This happens because beta cells producing insulin are attacked and destroyed by the body’s cells. Researches are yet to confirm why this happens. This system of attacking and destroying insulin producing cells has a name called “autoimmune reaction”. There are no proven results available to establish the cause of this destruction of cells. However certain results are indicative why this happens. They are as follows:

a) It may be result of specific bacterial or viral infection.
b) It may be the result of toxins which are consumed through food.
c) According to some scientists it is the result of cow milk feeding at a very young infant stage.

The above causes are only hypothesis and exact cause is yet to be established.

The other form of diabetes – Type-2 Diabetes develops under the following circumstances:

a) Insulin Resistance. In this stage though the insulin is produced in the pancreas but the blood cells do not respond to the insulin. This leads to excess production of insulin. This over production of insulin results in getting insulin-producing cells exhausted.

b) As a result of insulin producing cells getting exhausted, there may not be sufficient insulin available or the available insulin may not be normal for your body system.

Here are some other factors which may increase the risk of occurrence of Type-2 diabetes. These factors are Increasing Age, Overweight and Physical Inactivity.

There are some other causes which may increase the risk of diabetes occurrence. But these are not so common and may be found in rare cases.

Continued prolonged consumption of certain drugs/steroids/medicines may elevate the blood sugar leading to diabetes.

Women may suffer from Gestational diabetes during pregnancy period. However, this type of diabetes is temporary but chances of it converting into Type-2 diabetes can not be ruled out.

Some diseases affect the pancreas. The pancreas may be damaged as a result of these diseases. This results in the malfunction of the pancreas and non-production of insulin. This can lead to diabetes.

What doesn’t cause diabetes?

You know that obesity – which is the cause of diabetes - is the result of eating sweets or the wrong kind of food. But eating sweets or the wrong type of food does not itself result in the occurrence of diabetes.

Stress may worsen the condition of diabetes but stress can not cause diabetes.

Diabetes is not contagious. It cannot spread from one person to another.

Above are the common and known causes of all types of diabetes. The best way to overcome this disease is to follow a life style which suits your body. If you follow certain tips like eating nutritious food, regular daily exercise, and avoid the use of steroids.

Causes of Diabetes 5/2006 Copyright All Rights Reserved

About the Author :

IT Consultant wanting to be healthy. Looking for nutritious diabetic recipes. Ray Lunaburg rlunaburg@thenextsolution.com http://diabetic-recipes.blogspot.com/


This article is distributed by: www.iSnare.com

| Article Keywords: Diabetes

A Quick Note From The Publisher... If you like the article above, you may be interested in the following article which is also related to Diabetes... Understanding Diabetes To manage diabetes, it helps to understand how it affects your body. In healthy people, the body turns food into glucose (blood sugar) to use for energy. Insulin, produced by the pancreas, is the hormone responsible for shuttling glucose into the body's cells where it is either used right away or stored for later use. With diabetes, however, high levels of glucose build up in the blood because either the pancreas doesn't produce enough insulin or the body can't use the insulin it produces. Your treatment will depend on which problem you have. Diabetes is broken down into three categories: type 1 or type 2 or gestational. Type 1 diabetes occurs when the body's immune system destroys the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas, usually leading to a total halt in insulin production. Insulin shots or the use an insulin pump to keep the blood glucose within normal range is a daily activity. Insulin - stimulates the entry of glucose into fat cells. Glucose is a simple sugar that normally enters the cells of liver, fat and muscle to be stored or converted into energy. Because insulin is one of the "major" hormones, it's also impossible for your body to balance its "minor" hormones until your insulin metabolism is balanced first. Without insulin, blood glucose rises to dangerously high levels, if not treated it can lead to a coma or death. Type 1 most often occurs in children or young adults. Type 1 diabetes is usually referred to as insulin-dependent or juvenile diabetes. Type 1 diabetes often appears suddenly. Knowing the symptoms of diabetes can help you determine what steps to take. Here are some of the symptoms: ·High levels of sugar in the blood ·High levels of sugar in the urine ·Frequent urination ·Extreme hunger ·Extreme thirst ·Extreme weight loss ...