Doctors and researchers have a pretty good handle on most of what causes diabetes in adults. Most adults have what is known as type 2 diabetes. When the pancreas doesn’t produce enough insulin to control the body’s use of glucose, or the effectiveness of the insulin that is produced is reduced, you have the basics of what causes diabetes in adults.
Adults also suffer from gestational diabetes, which is diabetes during pregnancy thought to be brought on primarily by hormone changes and other stressors placed on the body during pregnancy.
Another classification of adult diabetes is known as secondary diabetes and is similar to type 2 diabetes. But what causes diabetes in adults diagnosed with secondary diabetes is usually some kind of damage to the pancreas brought on by alcohol, drugs like steroids and diuretics. This damage impairs the insulin production and secretion of the pancreas. But let’s focus primarily on type 2 diabetes for the sake of this article.
What Causes Diabetes in Adults to be More Prevalent in the Western Societies?
The mere fact that type 2 diabetes does occur more often in the “western societies” of America and Europe gives probably the best answer of all. Obesity is thought to be the leading risk factor and the best answer to what causes diabetes in adults. The people living the Western lifestyle are more likely to be obese, even severely obese. They are also more likely to be inactive and live what would be considered to be a sedentary lifestyle. They don’t exercise enough and tend to eat a diet that includes lots of fats and processed foods. They tend to have high blood pressure and high cholesterol levels at a higher rate, and until recently tended to smoke more. People in these societies suffer more from stress, and also have become more urbanized. They drink more sugar sweetened drinks and eat more of the wrong types of food.
All of these are risk factors for developing type 2 diabetes and provide insight into what causes diabetes in adults. Type 2 Diabetes rates have increased in parallel with obesity rates over the last half century. Since 1985, the rates are increasing more than just the population increase alone can account for. In that 25 year time span, the number of people with diabetes has increased from 30 million to about 285 million people.
Does Genetics Play Any Role?
It is true that some people are genetically pre-disposed to diabetes. But it is not enough of a factor in what causes diabetes in adults to account for the rapid rise in the number of diagnosed type 2 diabetics. As of 2011, more than 36 genes have been identified as contributing to the risk of type 2 diabetes. But according to the European journal of clinical investigation, all of these genes put together only account for about 10% of the total genetic component of the disease.
So, it seems that avoiding much of what constitutes the “western lifestyle” will also reduce your exposure to most of what causes diabetes in adults.
