Diabetes can be one of the worst chronic diseases, robbing you of your health and ultimately our life. While doctors disagree about the causes of the disease, there are several factors believed to heighten your risk of contracting diabetes. In order to reduce risk factors, you should pay attention to your general health, especially your diet, and learn everything scientists already know about this disease. It has already been proven that genetics play a role in the risk of contracting diabetes. Family history bears this out, even going back a century or more to before the disease was well-known. Those with an immediate family member who has diabetes are up to 33% more likely to eventually end up getting the disease than those whose family histories do not contain it. Let us take a look at the causes of diabetes…

Scientists do know that there is a large heredity component to diabetes. It is easy to see patterns in families, even going back to before diabetes was named as a disease or much was understood about it. If someone in your family has the disease, you are 25-33 percent more likely to get it than someone who does not have any occurrences of diabetes in their family.

This is especially true for juvenile diabetes. The children most at risk for diabetes have one or more parents who already has the disease, especially if the diabetic parent is the child’s mother. An additional risk factor is the onset of gestational diabetes in the mother while pregnant with the child. If the mother was diabetic prior to conception, the risk increases still further.

Scientists have not yet found a cure for diabetes or even an accurate way to predict who will have the disease. They are studying genetic factors in order to more effectively prevent the disease in the future. Current studies are also examining the question of whether low doses of diabetes medication can help prevent the disease in relatives of those who already suffer from it.

A study sponsored by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases is currently investigating whether treating the diabetic’s closest relatives with low doses of insulin or oral diabetes medication can help prevent the onset of the disease.

It is known that the second most important factor besides genetics is a person’s diet. Diabetes is often referred to as the “disease of prosperity” because excessive eating is a significant cause of its onset. Over time, ingesting too much sugar, protein, and fat seems to lead to diabetes.

Excessive eating overworks the pancreas, the organ responsible for secreting insulin to keep blood sugar at tolerable levels. When the pancreas is overtaxed for years, it becomes paralyzed and ceases to produce insulin.. Interestingly, people in poor countries where overeating is very uncommon rarely contract diabetes.

Genetics and diet are the primary known causes of diabetes. You can’t do much about your genes, but if you follow a proper diet and exercise regularly you can lessen your risk of diabetes.

Outlook: Some diabetes statistics

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