The American Diabetes Association says that approximately 1.5 million Americans are diagnosed with diabetes each year. Many factors contribute to diabetes from family genetics to environmental surroundings. Some factors can be addressed, but other factors cannot be changed.
Age
Although people in any age group can be susceptible to diabetes, the age group that has the largest percentage of those with diabetes is over 60 years old. Some of the reasons that age is a factor are because of natural wear and tear on the body. The production of insulin may start to slow, and the body may be slow to respond to the insulin or just not respond as well as it used to.
Weight
The common belief that weight is a factor in diabetes has to do with the cells in the body not responding as well to insulin. Children who are overweight are more likely than any other age group to develop type 2 diabetes.
Family History
Both type 1 and type 2 diabetes have genetic factors. Type 1 diabetes requires inheriting genes for diabetes from both parents. With type 2 diabetes, only one parent needs to have diabetes. Type 2 diabetes has a stronger inherited link in Western cultures, where diet is also an important factor.
Diet
Every time we have sugar,or carbohydrates, the pancreas releases insulin to pull the sugars into the cells for energy. If the body is not in need of the energy, the remaining sugar is converted to fat. Western diets are on average high in carbohydrates and fats but being low in natural fibers. The more sugars and fats we eat, the more insulin is released to handle the influx of glucose. The constant demand on the pancreas may lead to a decrease in insulin production over time.
Lifestyle
In addition to a poor diet and extra weight, most Americans do not get enough exercise. A combination of any of these factors can lead to diabetes. Metabolic syndrome X, also known as insulin resistance, is metabolic syndrome that indicates that heart problems and diabetes are likely. This can also be a form of pre-diabetes. Syndrome X has several different conditions that put someone in a larger risk category. Those factors are large waist circumference, large weight, high cholesterol level, and high blood pressure and blood sugar levels. If someone has three of these factors, he can be diagnosed with pre-diabetes or syndrome X. There is still debate within the medical community about this diagnosis, but all of these conditions have to do with poor lifestyle choices such as lack of exercise and poor eating habits.
References
- American Diabetes Association: Genetics of Diabetes
- Emergency: Care and Transportation of the Sick and Injured, ninth edition; American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons; 2005
- Medline Plus: Metabolic Syndrome
