This week's topic is the common causes for diabetes. My clients often comment on how rampant people are being diagnosed with diabetes. Some of these clients think doctors are conspiring with the pharmacy industry to get more people to use diabetic medications. Personally, I find most doctors are skittish about diagnosing someone with diabetes because treating diabetes is very expensive and time consuming. Some doctors are apt to tell their patients they have "borderline diabetes" and recommend them to lose weight and exercise to control their blood sugar. On the other hand, since studies have proven 90% of complications (i.e. stroke, kidney disease & blindness) can be prevented with good blood glucose control, many doctors are treating diabetes more seriously. Here are the common causes for diabetes:

1. It's the genes, baby!

You inherited your mother's beautiful eyes and your father's great smile. Your parents may have also passed down your chance for diabetes. People of African, Asian and Native American origin have a higher risk of developing diabetes than Caucasians. Most of my clients admit to having a least one close relative with diabetes. Sometimes I get someone who claims they do not have anyone in their family with this condition. If you are one of these people, you need to think about the next four reasons you have diabetes.

2. Aging

Your possibility for diabetes increases with age. Around one hundred years ago, most people lived 40 to 45 years. Today, living until age 45 would be tragic. However, guess the average age most people are diagnosed with diabetes. Yep, age 45! I often ask my clients who tell me their parents did not have diabetes, how long did their parents live. However, people recently are being diagnosed at a younger age due to the next factor.

3. Weight

The obesity rate in the United States is at epidemic proportions. Two-thirds of our country is overweight and 30.5% of our fellow Americans are obese. Medical professionals consider anyone with a BMI (Body Mass Index) over 25 overweight and individuals with a BMI over 30 to be obese. A person with a BMI over 25 is at risk of developing diabetes, so most of our country is in the danger zone.

4. Processed Foods

Eating highly processed foods put you at risk for diabetes because most of these foods are not satisfying to your body. Do you ever notice how quickly you feel full when you eat a whole potato as opposed to chomping down on a bag of potato chips? Eating highly processed foods causes you to overeat thereby putting you at risk for gaining weight. We all know excess weight increases your likelihood for diabetes.

5. Your body is fighting back.

This is strictly directed to people with type I diabetes. Research has shown individuals with juvenile onset or type I diabetes may have developed this disease as an immune response from their body. People with type I diabetes have no cells left in their body to produce insulin. Scientists think these cells may have been destroyed when these people were sick. Something as simple as a bad flu or chickenpox may have triggered the body to attack these cells.

If you are reading this blog and do not have diabetes there is good news. Losing weight, exercising and avoiding highly processed foods decreases your risk for diabetes by 58% if you have a family history of diabetes. Your risk is even lower if none of your ancestors have this disease.

Email me at askard@stablebloodsugar.com if you have any questions about this topic or any of my other blogs. Allison

Allison L Boyd is a registered dietitian who counsels people with diabetes. She has a membership site with tools to help manage this serious disease. Her website is http://www.stablebloodsugar.net

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