Causes of Diabetes

Diabetes causes vary depending on your genetic makeup, family history, ethnicity, health and environmental factors. There is no common diabetes cause that fits every type of diabetes. The reason there is no defined diabetes cause is because the causes of diabetes vary depending on the individual and the type.

How insulin works

Insulin is like a key that opens up the locks on your bodys cells so that glucose (blood sugar) can get inside and be used for energy. If the glucose can not get into your cells, it builds up in your blood stream. If left untreated, high blood glucose can cause long-term complications.

The role of glucose

Sugar has a bad reputation, but there is one type of sugar, called glucose, that your body needs to function. Glucose is a monosaccharide or single sugar. When you eat a carbohydrate, like a piece of bread or bowl of cereal, your body breaks the food down into small molecules, including glucose, that your body can absorb. Glucose enters the bloodstream and travels to every part of the body to fulfill its essential purpose.

Causes of type 1 diabetes

The exact cause of type 1 diabetes is unknown. What is known is that your immune system, which normally fights harmful bacteria or viruses, attacks and destroys your insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. This leaves you with little or no insulin. Instead of being transported into your cells, sugar builds up in your bloodstream. Type 1 is thought to be caused by a combination of genetic susceptibility and environmental factors, though exactly what many of those factors are is still unclear.

Causes of type 2 diabetes

Insulin resistance:

Insulin resistance is the common cause of type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes develops when the body loses its ability to use the insulin. Several factors can affect insulin resistance. Genetic susceptibility and lifestyle choices plays major role in insulin resistance.

Lack of insulin:

Type 2 diabetes also develops when the pancreas doesn't produce enough insulin to manage sugar levels in blood. These two are the main causes of type 2 diabetes. The exact cause of insulin resistance and lack of insulin is unknown. Several factors can affect type 2 diabetes. There is no single cause of diabetes type 2.

Causes of gestational diabetes

During pregnancy, the placenta produces hormones to sustain your pregnancy. These hormones make your cells more resistant to insulin. Normally, your pancreas responds by producing enough extra insulin to overcome this resistance. But sometimes your pancreas can not keep up. When this happens, too little glucose gets into your cells and too much stays in your blood, resulting in gestational diabetes.

Causes of prediabetes

Prediabetes occurs when your body is not able to keep your sugar (glucose) at a normal level in your blood. Your blood sugar is higher than normal, but it is not high enough to be diabetes. The food you eat turns into sugar, which your body uses for energy. Normally, the pancreas makes insulin, which allows the sugar in blood to get into the bodys cells. But when your body can not use insulin the right way, the sugar does not move into cells. It stays in your blood instead. This is called insulin resistance.