Diabetes Basics

To understand the causes of diabetes, you first need to know about the mechanism of insulin. This insulin breaks down the complex carbohydrates, fatty acids and proteins into more manageable glucose molecules which are mono-sugars and help the body digest and absorb the food. When the body is not able to produce enough insulin due to genetic and environmental factors it causes the glucose to remain in the bloodstream causing harm to most organs and ends up making you a diabetic.

There are numerous factors which cause diabetes but some of the major ones are:

A) Heredity/ Genetic causes: Though it hasn't been proved beyond doubt, our genes have a major role to play in most diseases, diabetes being one of them. A person has a 20 % chance of inheriting diabetes if both of his parents have it and only 2 to 4 % if only one has it.

B) Infections: Some viral infections alter the insulin producing Beta cells which make it impossible for the human body to recognize and destroy them.

C) Food: It's not a crime to eat or drink foods containing a huge amount of sugar as long as your body is producing the requisite amount of insulin. It is only when there is scarcity of insulin in the body that it leads to diabetes.

D) Weight/ Age: Being overweight and being above 40 are some of the important causes for type II diabetes.

Some of the other factors are:

1) Lack of exercise
2) Pregnancy
3) Fatigue
4) Blurry vision
5) Thirst
6) High blood pressure
7) High cholesterol levels

Scientists surmise that these are some of the factors which in combination with one another can cause diabetes.