Common Causes of Diabetes
What Is Diabetes?
Diabetes is a disease where the body cannot regulate the amount of sugar in the blood. In a person with no diabetes, the blood sugar that circulates the body provides energy. The primary organs that make a blood sugar work properly are liver and pancreas. The liver converts the food into glucose (sugar) that is released into the bloodstream and the pancreas produces insulin. Insulin is a hormone that moves the sugar from the blood into the body’s muscle and tissue cells and be used as fuel.
People with diabetes either do not produce enough insulin or their body cannot use insulin properly. What happens is that their blood sugar cannot move efficiently into the cells so their blood sugar remains high. Since the cells do not receive the sugar they need for fuel, people with diabetes are often lacking in energy. Furthermore, high levels of blood sugar can be harmful to the organs and tissues that are constantly exposed to it.
Common Causes of Diabetes
Heredity plays an important role in diabetes development. Studies have shown that people who belong to a family that have a history of diabetes are more prone to develop this disease. It is also proven that expectant mothers can pass on the disease to their child if they maintain a high glucose level during pregnancy.
Diet is a major factor in the causes of diabetes. A diet that is constantly high in carbohydrates, triglycerides, fats, cholesterol, and protein can contribute to the development of the disease. Overeating and obesity are also contributing factors to diabetes development.
The damage and weakening of a person’s pancreas can lead to diabetes. That is because pancreas is the organ that releases the insulin into the body. With this being damaged, the release of insulin will be impaired and hence, it will not work properly.
A sedentary lifestyle will increase the risk of a person developing diabetes. This is because the body is going to have a hard time converting the sugar into fuel.
Aging is another factor that can help develop this disease. As a person ages, the person’s body is naturally becoming weaker hence a lot of the person’s organs might have a hard time functioning well.
Stress can also lead to diabetes. Any kind of stress that alters the person’s mood and influences the metabolism of the body can lead to it.
Any factor that can contribute to the difficulty of the functioning of the body’s insulin hormone will be a potential risk factor to develop diabetes. The reason behind this is that, insulin puts the sugar from the bloodstream into the cells and converts them into energy. However, if the insulin has a hard time converting these sugars into energy, the sugar in the bloodstream will remain high for a longer period of time. Yet the person will have less fuel to use for energy.
Common Symptoms of Diabetes
· Constantly tired
· Weight loss even without minimizing food intake
· Constantly thirsty
· Excessive urination
· Poor wound healing
· Frequent infections