Can eating too much sugar cause diabetes?
There are two types of diabetes, type 1 and type 2 that both affect the insulin in your body. Insulin plays a large role with the regulation of blood glucose, also known as blood sugar, allowing the body to convert the sugar into energy. Many people often wonder what causes diabetes and if you can get diabetes from sugar. The short answer to ‘does sugar cause diabetes?’ is no but the long answer is that sugar and what you consume plays a large role in the development of diabetes. Here we are going to discuss what causes diabetes and some tips on how to avoid developing it.
What is Diabetes? What Causes it?
As stated on the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases informational page, diabetes is a disease that occurs when your blood sugar is too high. Blood sugar is your main source of energy and comes from the food you eat. The pancreas creates a hormone that plays a large role in the conversion of blood sugar into energy and it is called insulin. Often those who have diabetes aren’t able to produce enough insulin to convert the sugar in the blood into energy. There are three types of diabetes, Type 1 and Type 2 as well as gestational diabetes.
- Type 1 – this is a type of diabetes that is developed with your body doesn’t make insulin. The more serious problem for those with type 1 diabetes is that your immune system begins to attack your body attacking the cells that create insulin. This type of diabetes is most common in children and young adults and those who have type 1 diabetes must have doses of insulin every day in order to stay healthy.
- Type 2 – this type of diabetes is the more common version of diabetes and is when your body doesn’t produce enough insulin that it needs or doesn’t produce it well. This type of diabetes most commonly develops in middle aged people although it can be found during childhood or at any age.
- Gestational Diabetes- this is a type of diabetes that develops in women during pregnancy. This type of diabetes often goes away after giving birth but if you are diagnosed with gestational diabetes during pregnancy you have a high chance of developing type 2 diabetes later in life. Gestational diabetes is also commonly reoccurring during pregnancies.
Can you get Diabetes from Sugar?
Studies have shown that the more sugar you consume, the higher your chances are of developing diabetes, especially if you drink many sugary drinks. Eating large quantities of sugar packed foods can also increase weight gain which is another leading factor in developing diabetes. The main focus for not developing diabetes should be on diet and exercise. Diabetes can sometimes be genetic and if it runs in your family, you should be taking care of yourself in other ways. In order to lower your risk in developing diabetes you should follow the following ideas:
- Lower your weight – get rid of any excess weight that you have because reducing your body weight can lower your chances greatly in developing diabetes
- Be active – exercising can also lower your chances of developing diabetes because those who are sedentary have a much higher chance at developing diabetes
- Stop smoking – if you are a smoker, consider quitting to lower your chances
- Sleep – get a good night’s sleep every night in order to keep your body healthy
As stated above, sometimes diabetes is just genetic but if you do what you can to maintain a healthy lifestyle, avoid sugary fatty foods on a regular basis (cheating every once in a while is OK) and get enough rest you are already on your way to lowering your chances at developing diabetes.
Sources:
https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/diabetes/overview/what-is-diabetes