At some point, you may have wondered: what actually causes diabetes?
It’s a really good question—and the honest answer is that no one knows for sure. The exact cause of diabetes is still unclear, but we do know that both genetics and lifestyle play a role. If diabetes runs in your family, your risk of developing type 2 diabetes is higher.
Lifestyle factors matter too. Things like diet, physical activity, and weight can increase risk. Someone who is overweight and inactive is more likely to develop type 2 diabetes. That said, it’s important to know this isn’t the whole story. Some people have none of these risk factors and still develop diabetes, while others have many risk factors and never do. It’s not as simple as one cause or one choice.
To really understand how diabetes develops, it helps to know how insulin works in the body. Insulin is a hormone made by the pancreas, and its job is to move glucose out of the bloodstream and into your cells, where it’s used for energy. Glucose is essentially fuel for your body—it powers your muscles, your brain, and many other vital functions.
Here’s how that process normally works. When you eat, your food is broken down into glucose. That glucose enters your bloodstream, which raises your blood sugar. In response, the pancreas releases insulin. Insulin travels through the blood and acts like a key, “unlocking” the cells so glucose can move inside. As glucose enters the cells, blood sugar levels come back down. Your body releases small amounts of insulin all the time, but after meals it releases more to handle the rise in blood sugar.
In type 2 diabetes, the most common problem is something called insulin resistance. This means your body is making insulin, but the cells don’t respond to it properly. As a result, glucose stays in the bloodstream instead of moving into the cells, causing high blood sugar levels. To compensate, your body produces even more insulin—but because the insulin still isn’t working effectively, blood sugar remains high. Over time, this constant demand can wear out the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas, and they may no longer be able to make enough insulin to meet the body’s needs.
There’s currently no cure for diabetes, but type 2 diabetes can be managed. By controlling blood sugar levels, people can greatly reduce the risk of long-term complications like vision loss, heart disease, and kidney problems. Our website is a valuable tool for education and support for anyone with type 2 diabetes, and the Mayo Clinic is another excellent source of information.
The medical information on Diabetes – What To Know’s website is provided as an information resource only. The content is not in any way intended to be nor should you rely on it as a substitute for professional medical evaluation, diagnosis, advice and treatment.
