Type 2 Diabetes Becoming an Epidemic

Type 2 diabetes was called adult-onset diabetes for years, but now that more and more children have become heavier, the condition has been seen in teenagers. Of all diabetes cases, 90% have type 2 diabetes. And this type is influenced by lifestyle.

There are two causes of type 2 diabetes. The development of insulin resistance is the first cause. What is insulin resistance? Many produce enough insulin but the bodies do not respond to the insulin action. This inability to respond is called insulin resistance. Most often this happens to overweight people. There are other factors besides overweight that contribute to insulin resistance. As people advance in age , their body cells become less sensitive to the effects of insulin. A sedentary lifestyle and an inherited susceptibility can also result in insulin resistance. The inability to manufacture more insulin to keep up with the demand is the second cause of type 2 diabetes. So let's recap the two causes of the development of type 2 diabetes. They are insulin resistance and decreased secretion of insulin or both.

We don't really understand how insulin resistance develops. Researches lately have shown that fat cells make chemicals that cause the tissues to resist insulin. The more fat cells there are, the more chemicals are made. Due to this, the sugar can't go to the cells. Instead, it stays in the blood and the blood sugar level rises. Over time, the pancreas become so overworked they gradually lose the ability to manufacture enough insulin. The sugar level rises and diabetes comes knocking on the door.

Sometimes, the high blood sugar level leads to symptoms of diabetes like frequent urination, increased fatigue, thirst and weight loss, but the trouble is some people do not develop these symptoms so a lot have diabetes and do not even know it sometimes for as long as twelve years. The trouble with this is that not knowing one has diabetes one cannot start a program to prevent diabetes or take care of it in order to prevent the complications.

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