The Varied Causes of Diabetes
Diabetes has become a very common ailment, afflicting a lot more people today. It is incurable and so, lifelong. Once the causes of diabetes become known to the patient, it can be treated effectively and kept under control. Diabetes is generally of two types, Type-I and Type-II, and Diabetes Mellitus is the term used to refer to all the other definitions of the problem. Diabetes afflicting children is generally Type-I and adults suffer from Type-II diabetes.
Type-I diabetes is related to our autoimmune function, in which our body suffers from an insulin deficiency, as the insulin producing cells in the pancreas get completely destroyed due to this malady. The exact causes of diabetes are unknown, especially of Type-I, but this disorder is generally attributed to specific viral or a bacterial infection of some kind, chemical toxins found in food items, or cow?s milk fed to infants.
Type-II diabetes is generally found in adults, and it develops primarily due to insulin resistance. That is, in this type of diabetes, insulin is actually produced in the body but the cells that need to use it are not receptive. The human body is accustomed to producing insulin till it gets used by the specific cells, and when the cells do not receive the insulin, the body senses that there is an insufficiency, and begins to produce even more insulin. The end result of this is that the pancreatic cells reach a point after which they are unable to produce useful insulin, as they have been stretched too much. The causes of diabetes of the Type-II kind are many and linked to a series of factors.
The risk factors that are believed to be the main causes of diabetes in the type II category are advancing age, obesity and lack of physical exercise. Secondary factors include specific medications, pregnancy (often temporary and known as gestational diabetes) and existing illnesses related to the pancreas, such as pancreatitis.
Interestingly, most of the causes of diabetes that we've heard from the generations before are simply myths. For instance, eating too much sugar does not cause diabetes. However, it does lead to obesity and that can trigger diabetes type II. Even if you eat loads of sweets every day, if you are sufficiently physically active to burn it all off, then you are unlikely to develop diabetes.
Stress is not considered to be one of the causes of diabetes , although it can affect the functioning of the autoimmune system, leading to Type-I diabetes as an end result. Stress also worsens existing conditions of diabetes.
Diabetes is not infectious because it's not a disease. Genetic factors are considered as causes of diabetes from a hereditary level, but otherwise, diabetes is a condition developed by an individual's own behavior and habits. If diabetes is suspected, proper testing and medical assistance will make it easier to subdue the condition and continued treatment will aid a long and symptom-free life.