Cause of Diabetes
The cause of diabetes will depend upon whether you have type 1 or type 2 diabetes.
The cause of diabetes in the case of type 1 diabetes is the destruction of insulin-producing beta cells within the pancreas.
This destruction is the result of an autoimmune disease in which the body’s own immune system, normally responsible for fighting off disease, turns against part of the body – in this case the cells which are responsible for producing insulin within an area of the pancreas known as the Islets of Langerhans.
In healthy individuals the body digests the food that is eaten and converts part of this into glucose which is then carried throughout the body within the bloodstream to act as fuel for the cells of the body.
In order for the body to make use of this fuel however it is necessary to have a mechanism for transferring glucose from the blood into the cells and an essential element of this mechanism is the presence of insulin in the blood.
If the body is unable to produce insulin (or unable to produce it in sufficient quantity) then glucose will remain and build up in the bloodstream causing diabetes.
Exactly why the immune system turns on itself in this case is a mystery at present, although it is clear that there is some genetic reason for this which, when combined with the right set of environmental factors, will trigger the destruction of the insulin-producing beta cells.
In the case of type 2 diabetes, which accounts for the vast majority of all cases of the disease, the cause of diabetes is an inability on the part of the body to use the insulin which is produced. In other words, the cells of the body become resistant to the effects of insulin and, once again, the transfer of glucose from the blood into the cells of the body is affected and glucose levels build up.
As with type 1 diabetes the cause of insulin resistance remains very much a mystery.
Tagged with: cause of diabetes • diabetes blood sugar level • Diabetes Test • diabetes treatment • Type 1 Diabetes • Type 2 Diabetes
Filed under: Diabetes
Like this post? Subscribe to my RSS feed and get loads more!
Leave a Reply