Diabetes is also known as a chronic disease that occurs because the body is unable to process glucose as it should. It is also known as “the silent killer”.
Different types of Diabetes include:
- Type 1 – It is an autoimmune condition. This happens when your body attacks your pancreas with antibodies. This damages the organ and does not produce insulin anymore.
- Type 2 – It is caused by the body that creates insulin, but for some reason, the pancreas does not generate enough insulin into the bloodstream.
There are a few Risk factors that play a vital role in Diabetes, such as:
1) Hormonal conditions
Even though it is an exceedingly rare case, certain hormonal conditions can contribute towards diabetes. Mainly the body will cause insulin resistance. A few examples include;
- Cushing’s syndrome which is basically caused by high levels of cortisol. (Also known as the stress hormone.)
- Acromegaly which is basically the result of the body producing too much growth hormones. (This leads to excessive weight gain.)
- Hyperthyroidismwhich is basically when the thyroid gland produces too much thyroid hormones.
2) Lack of exercise
By doing regular exercises the muscles respond better to insulin. Resistance training can lower the risk of diabetes significantly. Contact your doctor to work out an exercise plan that suits your body best.
3) Obesity
Excess fat is very traumatising to the body and eventually ends up causing insulin resistance. (Fatty tissue causes inflammation that leads to insulin resistance). Yet again a lot of overweight people never develops diabetes, therefore more research is being done on the link between diabetes and obesity.
4) Poor diet
A poor nutrition-based intake is most likely to lead to Type 2 diabetes. High calories, fat and cholesterol only increase the chance that your body becomes resistant to insulin.
5) Age
The chances to get Type 2 diabetes increases as you age. It has been medically proven that from the age of 45 and above you become more prone for the disease. It has also been dramatically increasing in children, adolescents and young adults. Loss of muscle mass, exercise and weight gain are the main factors for diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is usually diagnosed around the age of 30.
6) Gestational diabetes (Pregnancy)
An exceedingly small percentage of pregnant women can develop gestational diabetes. The hormones that develop in the placenta interferes with the response of the body’s insulin. This then leads to insulin resistance. And high levels of glucose in the bloodstream. Gestational diabetes is more likely to develop to Type 2 diabetes at a later stage in life.
7) Genes and family history
Genetics play a vital role in determining whether one will develop some type of diabetes or not. Having a parent or sibling with diabetes can increase the odds of you also developing the disease. Even though research is not yet all conclusive some ethnicity groups have a higher rate of od contracting diabetes. This is particularly true for:
- Hispanic Americans
- Native Americans
- Asians
- Pacific in landers
- African Americans
Other genetic diseases like cystic fibrosis and hemochromatosis can both excessively damage the pancreas leading to the likelihood of developing diabetes.
8) Insulin
- Lack of Insulin production.
Type 1 is the primary cause of the lack of insulin production. This occurs when the insulin-producing cells are damaged and stop producing insulin. It is needed to transfer blood sugar into cells of the body. Insulin deficiency leaves too much sugar in the blood and not enough in the cells that are used for energy. - Insulin Resistance.
Type 2 is the primary cause of insulin resistance. The body is unable to move the glucose into the cells from the pancreas. This leads to the build-up of insulin in the pancreas eventually leading to insulin resistance.
