Diabetes is a disease that involves the hormone insulin. Although not every individual with type 2 diabetes is overweight, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that nearly 95 percent of diabetes cases in the U.S. are due to obesity and physical inactivity.
Glucose – A Simple Sugar Used for Energy
The body consists of millions of cells. In order to make energy, these cells need food. As you eat and drink, a lot of the food is turned into glucose, which is a simple form of sugar. Glucose is then transported via the bloodstream to the cells. Once glucose enters the cells, it provides the body with the energy it needs every day.
Insulin – The Hormone Responsible for Glucose Distribution
A properly working pancreas will
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When an individual has type 2 diabetes, his or her pancreas:
Still produces insulin, but very little.
Or
Stops producing insulin altogether.
Insulin Resistance
Insulin resistance is a condition that occurs when the body begins responding inappropriately to the insulin it makes. Once an individual has insulin resistance, the glucose is unable to enter the body’s cells; therefore, it builds up in the blood itself.
As the glucose increases in the bloodstream, damage occurs to various parts of the body, including the:
Heart
Eyes
Kidneys
Nerves
In addition, because cells do not receive the glucose they need for energy, they cannot function properly.
Common Causes of Type 2 Diabetes
It is believed that type 2 diabetes is genetic, which means it runs in families; nevertheless, even individuals who are genetically susceptible to type 2 diabetes may be able to prevent its onset through healthy lifestyle
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Physical inactivity – remaining active offers many health benefits, which include preventing the onset of type 2 diabetes.
Being overweight/obese – physical inactivity and eating unhealthy foods can cause an individual to become obese. Being overweight is a common factor in the development of type 2 diabetes.
Two Brothers with Different Lifestyle Choices
Consider that two brothers have inherited the genetic mutation that is responsible for type 2 diabetes. One brother is physically active, eats a healthy diet and watches his cholesterol; meanwhile, the other brother is overweight and physically inactive. Despite having the same genetic mutation, the brother who is inactive and overweight is much more likely to develop type 2 diabetes because his unhealthy lifestyle choices affect his body’s ability to use insulin properly.
Glucose – What the Numbers Mean
Individuals with diabetes must meet two of the following criteria.
He or she must have:
A fasting blood glucose level that is 126 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) or higher. Fasting refers to not eating or drinking anything for at least
This is how the body gets its fuel. Patients who have diabetes have "high blood sugar" (mayoclinic.com) because their body are unable to process the glucose; therefore, tissues, cells, and muscles cannot absorb glucose to use as energy. The two major reasons for a patient 's body to not be able to process glucose, is because "their pancreas does not make enough insulin, or their cells do not respond to insulin normally" (mayoclinic.com). As for gestational diabetes, this occurs in women who are pregnant who do not have diabetes.
Type 2 diabetes (insulin resistant) is when not enough insulin is produced by the pancreas leaving the body unable to control sugar levels in the blood. It is believed that obesity causes the body’s cells to become resistant to insulin therefore this type of diabetes is mainly associated with a lack of physical activity, obesity and poor diet. This condition is preventable through early lifestyle changes. The person may not have symptoms prior to diagnosis and the disease develops gradually meaning that as the disease gets worse the pancreas may make less insulin. (WebMD , LLC, 2012)
Type 2 diabetes is a form of diabetes that is insulin resistant and it often results from excess body weight and physical inactivity.
An overview of the proposed sequences of the key pathological features of type 2 diabetes is provided by Dr. Jack Leahy from the University of Vermont College Of Medicine. In his article he addresses the need for continued genetic research since little discovery has been made in this area. He also explains the known environmental causes such as sedentary lifestyles and high fat diets that contribute to type 2 diabetes, changes in lifestyle practices would reduce the incidence of this disease but this is not a practical solution. The best solution according to Dr. Leahy lays in understanding the
The other major cause of type 2 diabetes is genetics. The incidence of the disease is high worldwide and varies between populations because of difference in genetic susceptibility and other modifiable risk factors. Many genes have been targeted
In the case of Type 2 Diabetes, a person is more likely to get it if a close relative who is not just from the immediate family has it. If both parents have it, their child will have a risk of up to fifty percent of getting the disease in his or her lifetime. (Joslin Diabetes Center, 2015) However, in other scenarios where not both parents do not suffer from this type, the risk of getting the disease is almost the same as that of the risk for people in the general population. Besides, genetic transmission of the two types of diabetes, other factors that cause this disease includes obesity and other lifestyle
Diabetes is a disease that cases blood glucose levels to rise higher than normal in the body. Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes when being compared to type 1diabetes. When blood sugars rises to levels higher than normal it is called hyperglycemia. Diabetes, type 2 can result in many different issues that affect the body. There are many complications that are linked with diabetes for example, higher risk
Obesity is a chronic disease associated with severe health problems, which include the increase occurrence of type 2 diabetes.
Obesity also increases the risk for Type 2 Diabetes. Type 2 diabetes occurs when the pancreas is not making enough insulin or the body is not adequately using insulin as it should. When insulin is not used the body appropriately, glucose cannot get to cells and may not function properly.
Ji and Friedman (2007) state that obesity or overweight can be due to rich fat food consumption and is influenced by a genetic predisposition in humans. As explained above, type 2 diabetes is a multifactorial disease that is influenced by various genetic and ecological factors. Genetic or inherited factors help determine human’s susceptibility to Type 2 diabetes and obesity is an ecological risk factor in developing diabetes type 2 (Park, 2011). The combination of inherited susceptibility with ecological factors can generate a positive energy balance, which produces an excessive amount of adipose tissues; containing accumulated fats that influence the development of type 2 diabetes (Ji and Friedman, 2007).
This function is truly critical. If blood glucose rises too high, a person becomes at
It is important to maintain a healthy weight for your age group and body frame because it will help prevent diseases and health risk factors. Being overweight means that your body is carrying extra weight from bone, fat, muscle and/or water. You become obese when you have a high amount of this extra body fat. When you become overweight or obese you are prone to diseases such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, depression, and etc. Type 2 diabetes is the most common type of diabetes. This type of diabetes does not allow your body to use insulin properly which is called insulin resistance. Type 2 diabetes can be treated with oral medications, insulin, and lifestyle changes. If someone has type 2 diabetes they can control their blood glucose by eating healthy and being physically active.
Glucose is a key source of energy for much of the cells, tissues and organs within the body. The result of either a low or high blood glucose level can have catastrophic effects on the body. For instance, a low blood glucose level; known as hypoglycaemia, can lead to a person suffering from seizures, loss of consciousness and at extreme cases death (Szablewski, 2011). Similarly, prolonged instances of high blood glucose levels; known as
Diabetes is the name given to disorders in which the body has trouble regulating its blood-glucose, or blood-sugar levels. In understanding diabetes and how it develops, we need to understand what happens in the body without diabetes. Sugar (glucose) comes from the foods that we eat, specifically carbohydrate foods. Carbohydrate foods provide our body with its main energy source – everybody, even those people with diabetes, need carbohydrates. Carbohydrate foods include bread, cereal, pasta, rice, fruit, dairy products and vegetables (especially starchy vegetables). When we eat these foods, the body breaks them down into glucose. The glucose moves around the body in the bloodstream. Some of the glucose is taken to our brain to help us think
Physical inactivity and an unhealthy diet are strongly associated with increased risk of developing type II diabetes. A higher waist circumference (aka “belly fat”) is also highly associated with increased instances of developing diabetes. This is because excess abdominal fat produces hormones and other substances that cause harmful effects on the body such as an increase in the production of LDL (“bad” cholesterol), heart disease, and increased insulin resistance.