Diabetes is a chronic condition where the body fails to produce enough insulin and becomes resistant to insulin or a combination of both. There are three types of diabetes – Type1, Type 2 and Gestational diabetes. Glucose, a form of sugar received from different food items we eat, is found in our blood and insulin plays a key role in converting glucose into energy.
Insulin is a hormone produced by our pancreas. It helps in the absorption of glucose from our bloodstream into the cells, which further convert it into energy. When our body doesn’t respond to insulin well or stops producing it altogether, the onset of diabetes starts to occur.
Characterisation and causes of different diabetes According to Healthline, here are the causes for different types of diabetes:
Type 1 diabetes
Believed to be an autoimmune condition, type 1 diabetes is caused when the immune system mistakenly attacks healthy beta cells in the pancreas that produce insulin. The damage is permanent and insulin production stops. This causes type 1diabetes. While the exact reason behind the attack is not known, the factors are believed to be both genetic and environmental.
Type 2 diabetes
The problem starts with the body developing a resistance to insulin. This causes the body inefficiently using insulin meaning that the pancreas produces more and more insulin until it cannot keep up with the requirement. The insulin production then decreases and high blood sugars become a regular thing. This is known as type 2 diabetes.
While the exact reason of type 2 diabetes still hasn’t been pinpointed, the three biggest contributing factors may be genetics, increasing sedentary lifestyle and being overweight or obese.
Gestational diabetes
Gestational diabetes is caused by insulin-blocking hormones that are produced when a woman becomes pregnant. This type of diabetes happens only during pregnancy and is often seen in women who have a pre-diabetes condition before pregnancy or a family history.
About half the women who are diagnosed with gestational diabetes eventually end up developing type 2 diabetes.
Read all the Latest Lifestyle News here
