Around 90% of people living with diabetes in the UK have Type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes starts gradually, usually later in life, although people are being diagnosed at a younger age. It is the most common type of diabetes in adults.
What causes Type 2 diabetes?
We don’t know exactly what causes Type 2 diabetes. But we do know that your family history, age and ethnic background affects your risk of developing it, and we know you’re more likely to develop it if you’re overweight.
Type 2 diabetes develops when the body doesn’t produce insulin properly. We need insulin to help move glucose out of our blood and into our cells, so we can use it for energy. Without enough insulin, blood glucose levels get too high.
]]>There are two main types of diabetes: Type 1 and Type 2. They’re different conditions, caused by different things, but they are both serious and need to be treated and managed properly.
Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas that plays a very important role in our bodies. After we eat, we begin to digest carbohydrates, breaking them down into glucose.
The insulin released by the pancreas moves glucose into our cells, where it is used as fuel for energy. It may help to understand that insulin is often described as a key, which open the doors to the cells, allowing glucose to enter.
Type 1 diabetes
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune condition where the body attacks and destroys insulin-producing cells, meaning no insulin is produced. This causes glucose to quickly rise in the blood.
Nobody knows exactly why this happens, but science tells us it’s got nothing to do with diet or lifestyle.
About 10 per cent of people with diabetes have Type 1.
Type 2 diabetes
In Type 2 diabetes, the body doesn’t make enough insulin, or the insulin it makes doesn’t work properly, meaning glucose builds up in the blood.
Type 2 diabetes is caused by a complex interplay of genetic and environmental factors. Up to 58 per cent of Type 2 diabetes cases can be delayed or prevented through a healthy lifestyle.
About 90 per cent of people with diabetes have Type 2.
Around 10% of people living with diabetes in the UK have Type 1 diabetes. It’s usually diagnosed when you’re a child or a young adult, but it can develop at any age. It’s the most common type of diabetes in childhood.
What causes Type 1 diabetes?
We don’t know exactly what causes Type 1 diabetes. But we do know it’s not caused by your lifestyle – it’s an autoimmune condition. This means that your body attacks and destroys the cells that make insulin, so the body stops making it. We need insulin to help move glucose out of our blood and into our cells, so we can use it for energy. Without insulin, blood glucose levels get too high. That’s why everyone with Type 1 diabetes uses insulin to treat their diabetes.
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