With a steady increase in the cases of Diabetes Mellitus diagnosed each year, people are asking “Is Diabetes hereditary?” Hereditary dictates that an individual is predisposed to developing Diabetes because a parent, grandparent, or other close relative also suffered from Diabetes. First, there are two major classifications of Diabetes, Type 1 and Type 2. Both types of Diabetes differ due to their etiology, pathology, and treatment, while symptoms and complications are the same.

Type 1 Diabetes is an autoimmune condition in which the Immune System has been compromised by an illness or infection of some sort. Researchers are still unclear on this origin, but speculate it could even manifest as a vitamin deficiency or a virus. In short, the infection causes an overactive Immune System to attack its own beta cells, which are located in the pancreas and responsible for producing insulin.

When insulin is not available, excess …