Cause of Diabetes

DIABETES is a where your body makes too little insulin or insulin that doesn't work, allowing sugar levels to build up in your blood stream. Diabetes that starts as a kid is from no insulin being made whereas diabetes that starts late in life tends to be from too little insulin being made, or insulin that doesn't work and is associated with being overweight.

Insulin is a chemical made in your tummy by an organ called the pancreas (pronounced: pan-cree-ass). Insulin tells cells like your muscles and fat tissue to suck up glucose (sugar) from the blood. This is important because high levels of sugar become poisonous. When the pancreas senses high blood sugar it squirts out insulin to lower it and protect your body.

Kid onset diabetes is caused by your pancreas not squirting out any insulin to combat high blood sugar. It is caused by early destruction of pancreas cells by viral infection or by the body attacking the pancreas inappropriately (autoimmune destruction). Once destroyed there's currently no cure. But we are experimenting at implanting new pancreas tissue.

Adult onset diabetes is caused by either by a pancreas that's not squirting out enough insulin or insulin that doesn't effectively stimulating tissues to suck sugar from the blood. This form of diabetes is most often found in persons who are overweight.

Diabetes is a multi-factorial disease. There is no one cause of all cases. It happens by an interplay of many factors.

We do know however that careful diet - low in refined sugars and starches - exercise, and weight control, lower your risk.

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