What Causes Diabetes? – Dr John Clark

688
Published on June 5, 2012 by

http://www.cureyourself.net Dr John Clark presents first part of a three part series on diabetes, a major health problem for the affluent of this world.

Diabetes can be classified is either Type 1 or Type 2. In Type 1 diabetes, little or no insulin is available as a result of genetic or environmental factors that destroy cells in the pancreas gland that is where insulin is made. Hence persons with Type 2 diabetes must take insulin daily to function and live. Type 1 diabetes accounts for about 5 to 10 percent of diagnosed cases in the US and develops most often in children and young adults.

The onset of Type 1 diabetes is usually abrupt and it’s generally accompanied by frequent urination, constant hunger, excessive thrust and unexplained weight loss. Type 2 diabetes on the other hand is the most common form of diabetes and accounts for 90 to 95 percent of diagnosed cases. This type of diabetes can developed at any age even during childhood. In this form of diabetes the pancreas usually produces enough insulin but the body can’t use it effectively, and develops what is known as insulin resistance. To overcome this resistance, the pancreas attempts to make more insulin to facilitate the entry of glucose into the body cells. Unfortunately, overtime insulin production may begin to diminish. The result is the same as what happens for those individuals with Type 1 diabetes, glucose levels in the blood can increase to abnormally high levels.

Lifestyle factors can play an important role in the development of diabetes. In the United States approximately 85 percent of individuals with Type 2 diabetes are obese at the time of diagnosis.This is led to the coining of the phrase diabesity, to describe the close association between Type 2 diabetes and elevated levels of body fat. In a five years study of 20,000 men, the risk of Type 2 diabetes was tripled at a body mass index that exceeded overweight standards. A similar trend linking increases in body mass index to a greater age-adjusted risk in Type 2 diabetes was also observed then a group of 114,000 women who were studied for 14 years. The risk of developing Type 2 diabetes also arises with an increase in waist circumference. In one study of more than 43,000 women, it was found that a 10 inch difference in waist circumference in this case going from a 28 inch weight size to a 38 inch waist size that 10 inch difference translated into a 6 fold increase in the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. Other evidence indicates that when body weight and abdominal fat are lost, there is less resistance to the effects of insulin and levels of blood glucose or either reduced or return to normal.

What is the role of physical activity in treating diabetes? In discussing this topic, it’s important to recognize that physical activity has been used to treat diabetes for 1000 of years. Moreover, even after insulin was isolated in 1922, exercise was considered along with diet and insulin as an important part of the treatment regimen for diabetes.

Category Tag

Add your comment