What Causes Diabetes & Diabetes Types

Know detailed information on what causes diabetes, diabetes type 1 juvenile diabetes and diabetes mellitus type 2 and whether anybody can die of diabetes.

In the following paragraphs causes of each type of diabetes are given.

Type 1 Juvenile diabetes:

Type 1 diabetes is insulin-dependent diabetes which is usually starts in childhood (childhood diabetes) or adolescence. The cause for type I diabetes is due to pancreas unability to produce insulin.

Causes of Type 1 Diabetes

The exact cause of Type 1 diabetes is unknown. However, it is known that in majority of Type 1 diabetes cases, the body's own immune system attacks and destroys the insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. Once these cells are destroyed, they cannot make insulin again. So people with Type 1 diabetes need to inject insulin.

The cause of autoimmune system not working properly in such cases is still a subject of research.

Risk Factors That May Cause Type 1 Diabetes

No one knows for certain why this happens, the following are possible causes for Type 1 diabetes.

1. Genetics
2. Some viruses like mumps, coxsackie virus, or cytomegalovirus.
3. It has also been observed in some babies who develop jaundice or a respiratory infection just after the birth.
4. Early feeding of cow's milk to the child has been linked to an increased risk of type 1 diabetes.

Diabetes Mellitus Type 2 : Risk factors & Causes of Type 2 Diabetes

Diabetes Mellitus Type 2 (Type II) is the most common form of diabetes, affecting 85-90% of all people with diabetes. It generally happens to people above 40 years of age (adult onset diabetes) and is usually hereditary. However, more and more younger people, even children, are getting type 2 diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes is a non insulin dependent diabetes which is a result of body tissues becoming resistant to insulin or the insulin is not produced in the amount the body needs and it does not work effectively.

You are at a higher risk of getting type 2 diabetes due to following:

1. Lifestyle factors: Lifestyle factors such as high blood pressure, overweight, obesity, no physical activity, poor diet and apple shape body.
2. A study (January 2004 issue of the Journal Diabetes Care) suggests that people with a deficiency in magnesium have increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
3. Drinking two or more sweetened fruit drinks and other soft drinks per day for one month can increase the risk of type 2 diabetes by 31%, according to the researcher Julie Palmer of the Boston University, according to a report published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
   Diet soft drinks, orange juice and grapefruit juice are not linked to a higher diabetes risk, because they may have a different metabolic effect.
4. have a family history of diabetes
5. are older (over 55 years of age).
6. are over 45 years of age and are overweight or/and have high blood pressure.
7. are over 35 years of age and are from Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander background, Pacific Island, Indian subcontient or Chinese cultural background.
8. are a woman who has given birth to a child over 4.5 kgs (9 lbs), or had gestational diabetes when pregnant, or had a condition known as Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome.

Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) : Risk factors & Causes of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) occurs in pregnant women who needs 2-3 times more insulin than normal and the body is unable to produce the needed insulin. It is diagnosed when higher than normal blood glucose levels first appear during pregnancy.

If gestational diabetes is not cared properly, it may result in problems such as miscarriage or a large baby.

You are at a greater risk if you:

• Are over 30 years of age
• Have a family history of type 2 diabetes or gestational diabetes.
• You have previously given birth to a large baby.
• Are overweight or obese
• Are from a Indigenous Australian or Torres Strait Islander background, Vietnamese, Chinese, Middle Eastern, Polynesian or Melanesian background

Most people want to know if one can diet from diabetes. The answer is yes. The two cases are as under:

1. If you are on insulin: Your blood sugar can go too low because of the insulin. This is called hypoglycemia. If you don't eat some sugar quickly at that time, you can go into a coma, or even die in the worst case. You should eat some sugary food or juice immediately before it goes too low.
2. If your sugar level goes too high: Too high blood sugar is called hyperglycemia. Hyperglycemia generally takes much longer to kill than low blood sugar (hypoglycemia). When you have high blood sugar for a long time, you can go blind, lose your limbs, develop kidney problems, become heart patient, etc. You should not eat sugar all the time, because it will spike your blood sugar.