Individuals who go on to experience Type 2 diabetes find that there are specific risk factors that place them in a higher risk category. These risk factors include sedentary lifestyle, stress, infection, hereditary or inherited traits, age, poor diet, obesity, hypertension and high triglyceride and cholesterol levels. These are factors that place individuals at a higher risk for developing Type 2 diabetes but are not necessarily causative factors. (3)
The exact causative factor for an individual who develops Type 2 diabetes is not known or understood. Some individuals may have most of the risk factors but never develop the disease while others may have only one or two factors and develop the disease. Researchers and scientists are continuing to work towards a better understanding of the causes of this illness.
What scientists do know is that diabetes is not contagious which means that one individual with diabetes cannot pass it to another individual. It is not caused by eating sweets or the wrong kinds of foods. However, the wrong kinds of foods and eating sweets can be the cause of obesity which is associated with a higher risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. Stress itself is not a cause of diabetes but rather a trigger for the development of the symptoms and it does make the symptoms worse in those who already have the disease.
The third type of diabetes which affects the glucose system is gestational diabetes. This is a diabetic situation that occurs in a pregnant woman and is believed to be caused by hormonal changes in weight gain. When found early, it is easily treated so that it does not affect the growth and development of the infant. Most women who develop gestational diabetes find that the condition disappears after the delivery of the baby. However, having suffered from gestational diabetes puts a woman at greater risk for developing Type 2 diabetes later in life. (4)
Although researchers and scientists continue to search for a viable causative factor for diabetes there are reasonable treatment options available for individuals at this time. These treatment options are not cures but rather methods for individuals to better manage their disease condition in order to reduce the possibility of long-term medical complications.
References:
(1) American Diabetes Association: Type 2 Diabetes
http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/type-2/
(2) PubMed Health: Type 2 Diabetes
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001356/
(3) American Pregnancy Association: Gestational Diabetes
http://www.americanpregnancy.org/pregnancycomplications/gestationaldiabetes.html
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