What Is Diabetes? What Causes Diabetes?

Diabetes, often referred to by doctors as diabetes mellitus, describes a group of metabolic diseases in which the person has high blood glucose (blood sugar), either because insulin production is inadequate, or because the body's cells do not respond properly to insulin, or both !atients with high blood sugar will typically e"perience polyuria (frequent urination), they will become increasingly thirsty (polydipsia) and hungry (polyphagia) #here are three types of diabetes$ 1) Type 1 Diabetes #he body does not produce insulin %ome people may refer to this type as insulin-dependent diabetes,juvenile diabetes, or early-onset diabetes !eople usually de&elop type ' diabetes before their ()th year, often in early adulthood or teenage years #ype ' diabetes is nowhere near as common as type * diabetes +ppro"imately '), of all diabetes cases are type ' !atients with type ' diabetes will need to ta-e insulin in.ections for the rest of their life #hey must also ensure proper blood/glucose le&els by carrying out regular blood tests and following a special diet 0etween *))' and *))1, the pre&alence of type ' diabetes among the under *)s in the 2%+ rose *3,, according to SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth data issued by the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and !re&ention) 2) Type 2 Diabetes #he body does not produce enough insulin for proper function, or the cells in the body do not react to insulin (insulin resistance) +ppro"imately 1), of all cases of diabetes worldwide are of this type %ome people may be able to control their type * diabetes symptoms by losing weight, following a healthy diet, doing plenty of e"ercise, and monitoring their blood glucose le&els 4owe&er, type * diabetes is typically a progressi&e disease / it gradually gets worse / and the patient will probably end up ha&e to ta-e insulin, usually in tablet form 5&erweight and obese people ha&e a much higher ris- of de&eloping type * diabetes compared to those with a healthy body weight !eople with a lot of &isceral fat, also -nown as central obesity, belly fat, or abdominal obesity, are especially at ris- 0eing o&erweight6obese causes the body to release chemicals that can destabili7e the body's cardio&ascular and metabolic systems 0eing o&erweight, physically inacti&e and eating the wrong foods all contribute to our ris- of

de&eloping type * diabetes Drin-ing .ust one can of (non/diet) soda per day can raise our ris- of de&eloping type * diabetes by **,, researchers from Imperial College 8ondon reported in the .ournal Diabetologia #he scientists belie&e that the impact of sugary soft drin-s on diabetes ris- may be a direct one, rather than simply an influence on body weight #he ris- of de&eloping type * diabetes is also greater as we get older 9"perts are not completely sure why, but say that as we age we tend to put on weight and become less physically acti&e #hose with a close relati&e who had6had type * diabetes, people of :iddle 9astern, +frican, or %outh +sian descent also ha&e a higher ris- of de&eloping the disease :en whose testosterone le&els are low ha&e been found to ha&e a higher ris- of de&eloping type * diabetes ;esearchers from the 2ni&ersity of 9dinburgh, %cotland, say that low testosterone le&els are lin-ed to insulin resistance