What Are The Causes And Prevention Of Diabetes And How To Be Fit With It

What is Diabetes?

Diabetes is a condition that happens when blood sugar is too high. Blood glucose is the main source of energy from your food. Insulin, a pancreatic hormone, helps food glucose reach the cells for energy use. Sometimes the body doesn’t produce enough insulin— or any — or use insulin well. Glucose remains in your blood and can’t reach your cells. Here we describe the causes and prevention of diabetes.

Over time, too much blood glucose can cause health problems. While diabetes has no cure, you can take steps to manage and stay healthy.

Often people call diabetes “a drop of sugar” or “borderline diabetes.” Those words indicate somebody has no diabetes or a less serious case, but every diabetes case is serious.

What are the different types of diabetes?

Many common diabetes types are type 1, type 2, and gestational diabetes.

Type 1 diabetes

If you have type 1 diabetes, you don’t produce insulin. The immune system targets and kills insulin-forming cells in your pancreas. Type 1 diabetes is usually diagnosed in children and youth, although it may occur at any age. Individuals with type 1 diabetes use insulin every day to stay alive.

Type 2 diabetes

If you have type 2 diabetes, the body doesn’t use insulin well. Type 2 diabetes can grow at any age, even during childhood. This type of diabetes, however, usually occurs in middle-aged and older people. Type 2 is diabetes ‘ most common type.

Gestational diabetes

Gestational diabetes occurs in pregnant women. Most of the time, this type of diabetes goes away after the baby is born. And, if you have gestational diabetes, you’re more likely to develop type 2 diabetes later in life. Sometimes diabetes diagnosed during pregnancy is actually type 2 diabetes.

What are the symptoms of diabetes?

Diabetes signs include

• increased thirst and urination
• increased hunger
• fatigue
• blurred vision
• numbness or tingling in the feet or hands
• sores that do not heal
• unexplained weight loss

Type 1 diabetes symptoms will start quickly, within weeks. Type 2 diabetes symptoms sometimes develop slowly— over several years— and can be so mild you may not even notice them. Most individuals with type 2 diabetes lack signs. Many people don’t find out they have the condition until they have diabetes-related health issues, such as blurred vision or heart failure.

Causes Of Diabetes

What causes type 1 diabetes?

Type 1 diabetes occurs when the immune system, the body’s infection-fighting system, attacks and kills the pancreas ‘ insulin-producing beta-cells. Scientists believe that type 1 diabetes is caused by genes and environmental factors including viruses that may induce the disease. Research like TrialNet aims to classify the causes of type 1 diabetes and possible ways to avoid or delay disease.

What causes type 2 diabetes?

Type 2 diabetes — the most common form of diabetes — is caused by multiple factors, including diet and genes.

Overweight, obesity, and physical inactivity

You’re more likely to develop type 2 diabetes unless you’re physically active and overweight or obese. Extra weight increases insulin resistance and is common in people with type 2 diabetes. Body fat position also makes a difference. Extra abdominal fat is related to insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, heart, and artery disease. See these Body Mass Index (BMI) charts to see if your weight poses a risk for type 2 diabetes.

Insulin resistance

Type 2 diabetes usually begins with insulin resistance, a disease where insulin is not used well by muscle, liver, and fat cells. The body needs more insulin to help glucose reach cells. At first, the pancreas makes more insulin to satisfy additional demand. The pancreas can’t make enough insulin over time, so blood glucose levels increase.

Genes and family history

Some genes, including type 1 diabetes, can make you more likely to develop type 2 diabetes. The disease tends to occur in households and more often in racial/ethnic groups:

• African Americans
• Alaska Natives
• American Indians
• Asian Americans
• Hispanics/Latinos
• Native Hawaiians
• Pacific Islanders

Additionally, genes can increase the risk of type 2 diabetes by increasing a person’s overweight or obese propensity.

 What causes gestational diabetes?

Scientists believe that gestational diabetes, which occurs during pregnancy, is triggered by hormonal changes in pregnancy along with genetic and lifestyle factors.

Insulin resistance

Hormones released by placenta NIH lead to insulin resistance in all women during late pregnancy. Most pregnant women can produce sufficient insulin to overcome insulin resistance, but some can not. Gestational diabetes occurs when the pancreas can not contain enough insulin.

Unlike type 2 diabetes, extra weight is associated with gestational diabetes. Women overweight or obese may already have insulin resistance while pregnant. Overweight during pregnancy may also be a factor.

Genes and family history

Getting a diabetes family history makes a woman more likely to develop gestational diabetes, which means genes play a role. Genes may also clarify why the disease occurs more commonly in African Americans, Americans, Asians, and Hispanics / Latinas.

What else can cause diabetes?

Genetic mutations

• Monogenic diabetes is caused by mutations in a single gene. Such changes usually go through families, but sometimes the gene mutation occurs alone. Most of these gene mutations cause diabetes by making the pancreas less insulin-capable. The most common types of monogenic diabetes are youth’s neonatal diabetes and maturity-onset (MODY). Neonatal diabetes occurs in the first 6 months. In puberty or early adulthood, doctors usually treat MODY, but sometimes the condition is not treated until later.
• Cystic fibrosis NIH develops thick mucus, causing pancreatic scarring. This can keep the pancreas from producing enough insulin.
• Hemochromatosis causes too much iron in the body. If the disease is not treated, iron may build up, destroying the pancreas and other organs.

Hormonal diseases

Many hormonal conditions cause the body to produce too many hormones, which sometimes cause insulin resistance and diabetes.

• Cushing’s syndrome develops when the body produces excessive cortisol — often called the “pain hormone.”
• Acromegaly happens when the body releases excessive growth hormone.
• Hyperthyroidism happens when the gland develops too much thyroid hormone.

 Damage to or removal of the pancreas

Pancreatitis, pancreatic cancer, and trauma can all damage beta cells or reduce their ability to produce insulin, leading to diabetes. If the weakened pancreas is removed, the beta-cell failure causes diabetes.

Medicines

Sometimes some medicines can destroy beta cells or disrupt how insulin functions. It includes

• niacin, a type of vitamin B3
• certain types of diuretics also called water pills
• anti-seizure drugs
• psychiatric drugs
• drugs to treat human immunodeficiency virus
• pentamidine, a drug used to treat a type of pneumonia
• glucocorticoids—medicines used to treat inflammatory illnesses such as rheumatoid arthritis NIH asthma NIH external link, lupus NIH and ulcerative colitis
• anti-rejection medicines used to help stop the body from rejecting a transplanted organ

Statins, which are drugs that reduce LDL (“bad”) cholesterol levels, can marginally increase the chance of diabetes. Statins help protect you from heart disease and stroke. Therefore, the clear benefits of taking statins outweigh the slight chance of developing diabetes.

Prevention of diabetes

Prevent Type 1 Diabetes

1. Preventing Cognitive Issues

Type 1 diabetes can lead to brain function changes, leading to cognitive issues such as confusion and memory loss. Memory problems can be caused by high blood sugar (hyperglycemia) and low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), so steady blood sugar is necessary. To treat diabetes, follow your doctor’s advice and take insulin as needed. Regular exercise, balanced intake, healthy lifestyle behaviors, and reduced stress can also help you avoid brain changes.

2. Preventing Skin Disorders

Also, diabetes can affect your skin. Individuals with diabetes are more susceptible to skin conditions, including bacterial, fungal, and yeast infections. “If your blood sugar is high, your immune system doesn’t work,” says Zaidi, meaning you have trouble fighting off infection. In addition to controlling your blood sugar, reduce your risk of diabetes with good skincare. Hold skin clean and well-hydrated. Repair and cover wounds, scratches, and burns. Never let skin fester. See your doctor for a skin problem that doesn’t heal easily.

3. Preventing Eye Problems

The longer you have type 1 diabetes, the more likely you are to have eye-related complications. The most common eye condition is diabetic retinopathy, a disease that damages the eye’s small blood vessels. Nearly everyone with type 1 diabetes will experience a degree of retinopathy, and 20-30% will develop an advanced form that can lead to blindness. To lower your vision loss risk, keep your blood sugar and blood pressure under control. See an eye doctor at least once a year and note any changes in vision during regular visits.

4. Preventing Heart Disease and Stroke

Your heart health may be riskier if you have type 1 diabetes. If you’re overweight, drink, and don’t regulate your blood sugar well, you might be 2-4 times more likely to develop cardiovascular disease than someone without type 1 diabetes. Blood sugar can damage blood vessel walls. Controlling blood sugar can reduce the risk of heart attack or stroke from weakened blood vessels by more than 50%. Losing weight, not smoking, and keeping blood pressure in check will help.

5. Preventing Kidney Disease

For people with type 1 diabetes, 20-40% experience kidney disease. Blood sugar and blood pressure will help keep the kidneys safe. Have a clear urine test once a year to check for albumin, a blood protein that is excreted in small amounts in urine. A November 2013 research in Diabetes Care showed that urinary albumin levels could be used to classify young people with type 1 diabetes at risk for kidney and heart disease. If you are at increased risk, your doctor can prescribe medicines to reduce blood pressure and improve kidney safety.

Prevent Type 2 Diabetes

1. Cut Sugar and Refined Carbs From Your Diet

Eating sugary foods and refined carbs will place at-risk individuals on the fast path to diabetes.

The body quickly breaks down these foods into small sugar molecules, absorbed into your bloodstream.

The resulting increase in blood sugar causes your pancreas to produce insulin, a hormone that helps sugar get out of the bloodstream, into the cells of your body.

For people with prediabetes, cells in the body are immune to insulin action, and sugar remains high in the blood. In compensate, the pancreas produces more insulin, trying to bring down healthy blood sugar.

Over time, this can lead to increased blood sugar and insulin levels until the disease eventually turns into type 2 diabetes.

Several studies showed a correlation between regular sugar or refined carbs consumption and diabetes risk. Therefore, replacing them with foods with less effect on blood sugar will help reduce your risk.

A detailed analysis of 37 studies found that people with the highest intake of fast-digestive carbohydrates were 40% more likely to develop diabetes than people with the lowest intake.

2. Work Out Regularly

Regular physical activity can help prevent diabetes. Exercise increases cells ‘ insulin sensitivity. So, when exercising, less insulin is needed to keep your blood sugar levels under control.

One analysis in prediabetes patients showed that moderate-intensity exercise improved insulin sensitivity by 51% and high-intensity exercise by 85%. Nonetheless, this impact occurred only on the workday.

Several forms of physical activity have been shown to reduce insulin resistance and blood sugar in adults overweight, obese, and prediabetic. These include aerobic exercise, high-intensity, and strength training.

Going out more often seems to improve insulin response and function. One research of people at risk of diabetes found that exercise requires consuming more than 2,000 calories per week to achieve such benefits.  Therefore, it’s best to choose the physical activity you like, participate infrequently, and feel that you can stick with long-term.

3. Lose Weight If You’re Overweight or Obese

While not everyone who develops type 2 diabetes is overweight or obese, most are.

Furthermore, prediabetes patients tend to carry excess weight in their mid-section and around abdominal organs like the liver. Known as visceral fat.

Excess visceral fat stimulates inflammation and insulin resistance, significantly increasing diabetes risk.

When losing even a small amount of weight can help reduce this risk, studies show that the more you lose, the more benefits you receive.

One analysis of more than 1,000 prediabetes patients showed that for every kilogram (2.2 lbs) of weight loss participants, their risk of diabetes decreased by 16% to a cumulative reduction of 96%. Some healthy weight loss choices, including low-carbon, Mediterranean, paleo, and vegetarian diets. Choosing a way of eating, though, is key to helping you sustain weight loss.

One study found that obese people whose blood sugar and insulin levels decreased after losing weight reported elevations in these values after gaining all or a portion of their weight.

4. Quit Smoking

Smoking has been shown to cause or lead to many serious health conditions, including heart disease, lung, breast, prostate, and digestive cancers. Evidence also connects smoking and smoke exposure to type 2 diabetes.

Smoking has been found to increase the risk of diabetes by 44 percent in regular smokers and 61 percent in people who smoked more than 20 cigarettes a day.

One research tracked diabetes risk in middle-aged male smokers after quitting. Within five years, their risk had dropped by 13%, and after 20 years they had the same risk as people who had never smoked.

5. Follow a Very-Low-Carb Diet

A ketogenic or very-low-carb diet can help you prevent diabetes. Although there are several ways to eat that support weight loss, very-low-carb diets have strong evidence behind them.

These have steadily lowered blood sugar and insulin levels, improved insulin sensitivity, and reduced other risk factors for diabetes.

In a 12-week sample, prediabetics ate a low-fat or low-carb diet. Blood sugar fell by 12% and low-carb insulin declined by 50%.

In the low-fat category, blood sugar fell by 1% and insulin dropped by 19%. The low-carb diet showed better results in both counts. When you limit your carb intake, after feeding, your blood sugar levels won’t rise much. Therefore, the body needs less insulin to keep your blood sugar stable.

Furthermore, very-low-carb or ketogenic diets can minimize fasting blood sugar. In a sample of obese men with prediabetes following a ketogenic diet, average fasting blood sugar fell from 118 to 92 mg/dl within the normal range. Participants have lost weight, improving several other health indicators.