Diabetes are of two types; Type 1 diabetes and Type 2 diabetes. These types affect people of different ages and also occurs due to different causes. Understanding the cause of diabetes will help people to prepare themselves and lower the risk of developing this ailment.

The Difference between Type 1 Diabetes And Type 2 Diabetes

The cause of type 1 diabetes is still unknown to doctors and researchers. Type 1 diabetes is also called juvenile diabetes, diabetes mellitus, insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, sugar diabetes or brittle diabetes. This type of diabetes is usually found in children and young adults, typically those below the age of thirty have a greater chance of contracting this type of disease.

It is believed that people are genetically predisposed to developing type 1 diabetes. Another cause of type 1 diabetes is when the body attacks the cells in the pancreas that produce insulin, which results in the body not producing insulin anymore. Researchers and doctors are not sure why this occurs. There is nothing that can be done to prevent type 1 diabetes, it is an auto immune disease.

A person who has type 2 diabetes still produces insulin but develops a resistance to insulin. Tissues in the body, such as muscles, do not respond to insulin and cannot use insulin to utilise glucose properly in the blood. Other organs such as the liver, along with the usual insulin-producing organ: the pancreas will increase insulin production. Finally the pancreas is unable to produce any more insulin and the tissues become even more insulin resistant.

Lifestyle is a main cause of type 2 diabetes. Enumerating further:

1. Those who are overweight and/or physically inactive are at risk of this disease. Particularly those who have fat that is concentrated on the abdomen.
2. This disease usually affects people later in life and is often called late-onset diabetes.
3. The average age of people diagnosed with this type of diabetes was thought to be 52. However the average age of diagnosis is becoming lower as lifestyle habits change.
4. Having high cholesterol or high blood pressure also increases the chances of developing this disease.

So, Type I diabetes generally occurs in children or young adults and Type II diabetes occurs for people above 40 years of age. Studies have suggested such a distribution but they are not a hard and fast rule.

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