Ask the Expert: What Causes Diabetes?

Question:

What causes diabetes?  I’ve heard it’s because I’m overweight and that I eat fast food a few times a week.  Other people say it’s because my grandmother had it. Can you tell me the truth?

Expert Response:

The truth is that there are several risk factors for what causes diabetes. Researchers don’t know why some people get the disease and others don’t, but there are some common threads:

• Weight
• Inactivity – Lack of exercise
• Family History
• Race – African American, Asian Americans, Indian Americans, and Hispanic Americans are all more likely to develop diabetes
• Age – Older than 45 increases risks
• Pre-Diabetic (link to early symptoms page.)
   

According to the Mayo Clinic, type 2 diabetes develops when the body becomes resistant to insulin or when the pancreas stops producing enough insulin.  Insulin, to put it simply, is a hormone that is made in your pancreas, an organ just behind your stomach. When you eat, your pancreas secretes insulin into the blood so that your blood can then absorb the sugars from the food that you eat. In people with type 2 diabetes, this process works improperly.  Instead of moving into your cells, the sugar you eat just builds up in your bloodstream. 

It’s important for people who are at high risk, to learn about the early symptoms of diabetes and see their doctor regularly. You can learn more about the risk factors of diabetes right here.