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Causes and Basic Definitons of Diabetes

Before studying the causes of diabetes you must understand what is diabetes? Diabetes is a disease caused by hormonal imbalance.

Insulin is helpful in supply of sugar to various parts of the body. When the beta cells in either produce low quantities of insulin or does not produce insulin in the pancreas, such a stage is called diabetes. In other cases, the insulin is produced in the pancreas, but the blood cells do not respond to the insulin. This factor of insulin imbalance leads to diabetes.

Diabetes is classified in different categories based on the above factors. They are commonly known as Type-1 & Type-2 Diabetes.

In Type-1 Diabetes the insulin is not produced in the pancreas. This happens because beta cells producing insulin are attacked and destroyed by the body's cells. Researches are yet to confirm
why this happens. This system of attacking and destroying insulin producing cells has a name called "autoimmune reaction".

There are no proven results available to establish the cause of this destruction of cells. However certain results are indicative of why this happens. They are as follows:

a) It may be result of specific bacterial or viral infection

b) It may be the result of toxins which are consumed through food

c) According to some scientists, it is the result of cow milk feeding at a very young infant stage.

The above causes are only hypotheses and exact causes are yet to be established.

The other form of diabetes, Type-2 Diabetes, develops under the following circumstances:

a) Insulin Resistance. In this stage though, the insulin is produced in the pancreas, but the blood cells do not respond to the insulin. This leads to excess production of insulin. This
over production of insulin results in insulin-producing cells becoming exhausted.

b) As a result of insulin producing cells getting exhausted, there may not be sufficient insulin available or the available insulin may not be normal for your body system.

Here are some other factors which may increase the risk of occurrence of Type-2 diabetes. These factors are:
Increasing Age, Overweight and Physical Inactivity.

There are some other causes which may increase the risk of diabetes occurrence. But these are not so common and may be found in rare cases.

- Continued prolonged consumption of certain
drugs/steroids/medicines may elevate the blood sugar leading to diabetes.

- Women may suffer from Gestational diabetes during pregnancy period. However, this type of diabetes is temporary, but chances of it converting into Type-2 diabetes can not be ruled out.

- Some diseases affect the pancreas. The pancreas may be damaged as a result of these diseases. This results in the malfunction of the pancreas and non-production of insulin. This can lead to
diabetes.

What doesn't cause diabetes? You know that obesity - which is the cause of diabetes - is the result of eating sweets or the wrong kind of food. But eating sweets or the wrong type of food
does not itself result in the occurrence of diabetes.

Stress may worsen the condition of diabetes but stress can not cause diabetes.

Diabetes is not contagious. It cannot spread from one person to another.

Above are the common and known causes of all types of diabetes. The best way to overcome this disease is to follow a life style which suits your body - following certain tips, like eating
nutritious food, taking regular daily exercise, and avoiding the use of steroids.

Diabetes Symptoms

The symptoms of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes are similar. It is the speed in which they manifest that differs.

Type 1 diabetes symptoms develop over a short period of time. Type 1 diabetes is caused by an autoimmune response within the body which attacks the precious beta cells in the pancreas. The condition is irreversible and sufferers will need insulin supplementation for the rest of their lives.

Because there is no insulin being produced in the case of type 1 diabetes, symptoms develop and worsen very quickly with sufferers quickly falling into a diabetic coma if the condition is not diagnosed.

The situation is very different with type 2 diabetes. In this form of the disease some insulin is still being produced and released, it may not be enough or the cells may have become resistant and unable to utilise the insulin that is available, but there will be some insulin present within the body. This means that symptoms develop more slowly and progress over an extended period of time. It can be many years before a type 2 diabetic receives a diagnosis.

For both types of diabetes the symptoms are the same and it is important to seek medical help if any of the following are noticed:


- Excessive thirst – this is an early indication that all is not well. It can of course be attributed to other factors but it is worth asking the doctor to check if this symptom is noticed.

- Frequent urination – obviously if more fluid is going in, it has to come out. There may be a sweet smell to the urine indicating high sugar levels. There can be other health conditions that cause more frequent urination and they are all worth checking out.

- High blood glucose levels can damage the smaller blood vessels which in turn can cause damage to the sensitive structure of the eye. Any sudden changes in vision must be investigated promptly.

- Sweet smelling breath may be noticed by diabetes sufferers or their nearest and dearest. It is worth investigating as it can be indicative of diabetes.

- A non-seasonal increase in appetite is worth noting, especially if this is accompanied by an unexplained weight loss.

- Drowsiness and lethargy can be overlooked as nowadays everyone is leading a busy life. However, it is worth investigating if it does not improve after a few early nights.

- Heavy, laboured breathing can be masked by all manner of modern day respiratory problems but can be a symptom of diabetes.

- Stupor and unconsciousness is the final symptom, by which time it is often too late to do anything to help.

Become conscious of your body and the warning signs it sends out. Ignoring symptoms can only lead to them worsening and even the development of a more serious health problem. Go and get them checked out!

Controlling Diabetes

To control diabetes the first thing required is information and it is for this reason that diabetics should take advantage of every resource they can find to educate themselves about their health condition.

It is important that diabetics stay in close touch with their medical practitioner to ensure that the current treatment regime they are following is still the most appropriate. In addition, checks should be made regularly to assess for physical and neurological deterioration in other areas that can occur as a result of suffering from diabetes.

It should be obvious but, for the avoidance of doubt, the best way of controlling diabetes is for patients to test their glucose levels regularly – as instructed by their doctor or diabetes clinic nurse – and to take the appropriate levels of medication.

Diet and exercise are also key factors in controlling diabetes. The diabetic will be given dietary guidelines by their medical practitioner and these should be adhered to initially. However, each individual’s physiology can and does react differently and it is best for each diabetic to do their own dietary investigations. Now, I am not suggesting for one moment that anyone should abandon any medical advice they have been given. What I am suggesting is that diabetics pay rigorous attention to their diet and self-monitoring activities to establish which foods cause the worst glucose-level peaks and troughs.

There is a lot of conflicting advice regarding carbohydrates and fats with the scientific fraternity being divided into more than two camps on the subject. With only theories and no clear cut evidence, it is difficult to know what advice to follow. By initially adhering to the dietary advice given by their medical practitioner, the diabetic has a baseline from which to experiment – with caution. This type of experimentation should always be done with the approval of a suitably qualified medical practitioner.

There is no doubt that an element of self control is required to control diabetes, but the rewards are surely worth the price. For those who are struggling to find suitable recipes to support their diabetic regime a visit to http://cldia.allrecipes.com/default.asp?nplsrcid=525 may supply some new ideas.

Alcohol can aggravate diabetes and is best avoided or restricted to small amounts with meals. Some of the oral medications offered to control type 2 diabetes react very adversely to alcohol consumption which is another reason to avoid alcoholic beverages.

High stress levels will aggravate diabetes and by introducing relaxation methods into their everyday routine diabetics can better control their health condition. In simple terms, stress increases the level of many hormones in the body – including adrenaline. Adrenaline prepares the body for fight or flight and part of these preparations is to release glucose stores from the liver and muscles to be used as immediate energy. What the body has no way of understanding is that modern day stress levels are not usually induced by a physical threat and the release of high levels of glucose is in fact not required. High stress levels can play havoc with glucose levels and make it almost impossible to control diabetes. It is therefore essential that the diabetic learns how to relax and reduce stress in their life.


Please click on About Diabetes for a longer description.