Diabetes is a lifelong condition that affects 23.6 million people in the United States or 7.8 percent of the population, according to the National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse. This metabolic disorder is caused by either a lack of or resistance to insulin, a hormone produced in the pancreas that is necessary for the body to efficiently use glucose (sugar) as energy. There are a variety of factors that contribute to the onset of two main types of diabetes, type I and type II.
Family History
Although family history, or genetics, is a factor in the development of diabetes, it alone does not determine the onset of the disease. Some people are born with a predisposition for the disease, but environmental factors are needed to trigger the disease. Type II diabetes has a stronger genetic relationship that type I diabetes. If one parent has type II diabetes and was diagnosed before the age of 50, the child has a 1 in 7 chance of developing the disease, according to the American Diabetes Association. However, when that parent was diagnosed after the age of 50, the chance of the child getting diabetes is 1 in 13. A child whose father has type I diabetes has a 1 in 17 chance of getting diabetes while a child whose mother has type I diabetes has a 1 in 25 chance.
Age
Type I diabetes, previously referred to as juvenile diabetes, is usually diagnosed during childhood or young adulthood, however it can occur at any age. Because type II diabetes is a disease that relies heavily on lifestyle risk factors, such as obesity, it normally occurs in older people. Type II diabetes used to be known as adult-onset diabetes, however more children are being diagnosed with type II diabetes because of high fat diets and sedentary lifestyles.
Obesity
Obesity is the No. 1 risk factor for developing type II diabetes. In fact, according to the Merck Manual, 80 percent to 90 percent of all diabetes patients are overweight or obese. A high fat diet and extra body fat can make the liver increase the production of glucose. The pancreas responds by producing more insulin to try to maintain normal blood sugar levels. However, the more that the cells in your body are exposed to insulin, the more resistant they become to it. As cells become insulin-resistant, the pancreas makes more insulin to try to compensate and reduce the glucose levels. This cycle continues until the pancreas finally gives up and either dramatically slows down or stops producing insulin at all, resulting in diabetes.
Physical Inactivity
A lack of physical activity, in addition to contributing to obesity, also increases the risk for developing type II diabetes. During exercise, the cells in the body take in seven to 20 times more glucose than it does at rest, a study published in Experimental Biology and Medicine reports. In the absence of exercise, glucose is not used, leading to high levels in the blood, resulting in diabetes.
