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What Causes Diabetes?
by Jim Bruce
There are many theories about what causes diabetes but no real certainties of the exact causes. Most doctors agree that there are specific factors that are generally present. When they consider these things, along with the way diabetes manifests itself in the body, they feel they are able to offer some realistic speculations on what causes diabetes.
What are the Most Common Factors Causing of Diabetes?
The overwhelming belief in the medical community concerning what causes diabetes is the presence of genetic traits in most diabetic patients. Diabetes usually runs in families, and seems to depend on the genetic relationships between the relatives. Thus, family trees with diabetes being prevalent are cause for suspicion.
For instance, having one parent who is diabetic may increase the likelihood of their children developing diabetes by only a few percent. However, if both parents have diabetes, the odds are almost certain that any offspring from this union will have diabetes diagnosed at some time in their lives.
Increasing age is also a factor believed to cause diabetes, with over 80% of those newly diagnosed, type 2 diabetes, being over the age of 50. People involved in nutritional research agree that what causes diabetes is a poor diet with a high consumption of 'refined foods' and a low protein and fiber intake. They additionally cite obesity as a major condition for developing type 2 diabetes, because an abundance of body fat contributes to increased insulin resistance.
Lifestyle Can Affect Your Chances of Developing Diabetes
A sedentary lifestyle and excessive stress are also on the list to answer the question of what causes diabetes. In some rare cases, certain prescription drugs have been known to cause this serious disease. There are medical researchers who strongly point to evidence that what causes diabetes is a bacterial or virus infection that attacks the pancreas.
High blood pressure and high cholesterol levels have long been known to increase the chances of developing diabetes. Interestingly, there are certain ethnic groups that are genetically more likely to become diabetic. African Americans, Latinos, Hispanics, Native Americans, Asian Americans, and Pacific Islanders carry a much higher risk, although no convincing medical research has shown why this is.
Now a days, anyone can contract diabetes. Lifestyles enter into why someone gets diabetes as much as genetics. Some people are born with type 1 diabetes while others contract the disease (type 2 diabetes), later in life because of the lifestyle they've led. What causes diabetes will only become apparent as research progresses in this area.
Decrease Your Chances of Developing Diabetes
Since it's obvious there is not one definitive answer to the question of what causes diabetes, there are several areas in which you can guard yourself against with this incurable disease. Obviously, you can't change your family history or genetics, but you can monitor your weight, blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
Getting adequate exercise and making wise food choices will contribute to your overall health while decreasing the possibility of diabetes. If you do fall into one of the higher diabetes risk categories because of your genetic makeup, age or ethnicity, regular checkups and blood tests will give you an early warning and will allow you to start appropriate medical treatments if it becomes necessary.
| Disclaimer: |
The information in this Diabetes section has been taken from a number of sources. It is meant to give you information about certain medicines, but it does not cover all of the possible uses, warnings, side effects, or interactions with other medicines and vitamin or herbal supplements.
This information should not be used as medical advice for individual medical problems. Please talk to your doctor, health professional, and/or your pharmacist for prescription or treatment instructions. |
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