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Hello, I’m Ty Mason from TheDiabetesCouncil.com, researcher, writer and I have type 2 diabetes. Today I’m going to answer the question, what causes diabetes. But before we get into that, make sure you download my free diabetes management book which also includes a diabetes grocery shopping guide (foods to eat and avoid).

Let me start off by saying I am NOT a doctor, I have no medical training whatsoever, I didn’t even stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night. I am just a guy with diabetes who wants to help educate others. That being said, I have been asked to answer what causes diabetes in 3 and a half minutes.

So let’s get started. When talking about diabetes, there really is a myriad of different types of diabetes and I hope to get into all of them at some point, but today we are going to focus on Type 2 Diabetes because that is the most common.

People with Type 2 diabetes have a malfunction in their bodies that doesn’t allow them to use insulin properly. This is called insulin resistance. At first, your pancreas makes extra insulin to keep everything in check, but, over time it isn’t able to keep up and make enough insulin.

OK, we know what it is, but the question is what causes it.

That is not an easy question to answer. But many scientists think genetic susceptibility and environmental factors are the most likely triggers of type 2 diabetes.

Having certain genes or combinations of genes may increase or decrease a person’s risk for developing the disease. The role of genes is suggested by the high rate of type 2 diabetes in families and identical twins and wide variations in diabetes prevalence by ethnicity.

The known genes appear to affect insulin production rather than insulin resistance. Researchers are constantly looking at other ways genes can interact with one another and with environmental factors to cause diabetes.

Physical inactivity and obesity are strongly associated with the development of type 2 diabetes. People who are genetically susceptible to type 2 diabetes are more vulnerable when these risk factors are present.

An imbalance between caloric intake and physical activity can lead to obesity, which causes insulin resistance and is common in people with type 2 diabetes. Central obesity, in which a person has excess abdominal fat, is a major risk factor not only for insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes but also for heart and blood vessel disease, also called cardiovascular disease.

The American Diabetes Association says that people who develop type 2 diabetes are more likely to have the following characteristics:

-age 45 or older
-overweight or obese
–physically inactive
parent or sibling with diabetes
-family background that is African American, Alaska Native, -American Indian, Asian American, Hispanic/Latino, or Pacific -Islander American
-history of giving birth to a baby weighing more than 9 pounds
-history of gestational diabetes
-high blood pressure—140/90 or above—or being treated for high blood pressure

There literally are thousands of studies with hundreds of factors that cause diabetes. The list in front of you isn’t exhaustive, but if you have Type 2 diabetes you probably fall under one or more of these categories.

The good news is, diabetes is not fatal. With proper diet, exercise and often medication you can live a rather normal happy life.
I hope this answered your question what causes diabetes. Don’t forget to get your diabetes management book.

Let me know if you have any other diabetes related questions.
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