There are two main types of diabetes, and despite sharing symptoms, their causes are quite different, meaning that a different prognosis and treatment plan may exist depending on which type of diabetes you are suffering from and how the causes are addressed.
What is diabetes?
Diabetes is a medical condition in which your blood sugar levels become too high. It happens when your body either doesn’t make enough of the hormone known as insulin, or when the insulin that your body produces doesn’t work properly. In the latter example, this is known as being insulin resistant.
Insulin is a very important hormone as it helps your body to process the sugar in your bloodstream and when it is lacking or not working properly, your blood sugar level escalates and causes a myriad of symptoms including constant thirst, tiredness, weight loss and urinating more than normal. If not treated early, more serious complications can develop, including foot and eye problems, nerve damage, muscle pain, kidney disease, heart attack and stroke.
Different types of diabetes
There are two main types of diabetes, helpfully referred to as Type 1 and Type 2. Type 1 is caused by a problem with your immune system, while Type 2 is influenced by your ethnicity and lifestyle.
Type 1 diabetes
Type 1 diabetes is quite rare in the UK, only affecting 10% of diabetics. There is nothing that people can do to protect against developing Type 1 diabetes, as it is caused by an autoimmune condition in which your body destroys the insulin-producing cells in your pancreas so that insulin cannot be produced.
Type 1 diabetics must use insulin injections or insulin pumps to administer insulin as needed in order to control their condition. Some Type 1 diabetics may also be prescribed a drug called Metformin. Because there is no cure for Type 1 diabetes, failing to use medication appropriately puts sufferers at risk of serious health problems and complications.
Type 2 diabetes
Type 2 diabetes is influenced by lifestyle and ethnicity, with overweight individuals, smokers and people of Black African, African Caribbean and South Asian origin being at greater risk of developing the condition. There may also be a genetic factor, as many people with Type 2 diabetes have others with the condition in their family.
While Type 2 diabetes is also primarily managed with insulin and Metformin, it can also be controlled and even put into remission with diet and lifestyle changes, such as eating more healthily, quitting smoking and taking more exercise.
A low-calorie diet has been shown to offer the best chance of putting Type 2 diabetes into remission and in the UK, the NHS Type 2 Diabetes Path To Remission Programme has developed a diet that can help keep blood sugar levels in a non-diabetes range long-term without the need for medication.
The difference between Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes
Though the symptoms and risks of Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes are the same, the main difference between the two relates to whether insulin resistance is triggered by an autoimmune condition or a controllable factor.
With 90% of British diabetics suffering from Type 2 diabetes, it is clear that age, ethnicity, weight and smoking are the primary risk factors affecting our population and while this makes for bleak reading, it should perhaps be viewed as a positive, as with simple diet and lifestyle changes, Type 2 diabetes can be controlled and even put into remission.
The difference between Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes FAQs
Why is smoking a risk factor for Type 2 diabetes?
The chemical nicotine that is present in cigarettes and vapes is processed in the cells inside your body and can affect the way in which they respond to insulin. Prolonged smoking can trigger insulin resistance and put you at increased risk of developing Type 2 diabetes and associated complications, such as eye, feet, heart and kidney damage.
Why is being overweight a risk factor for Type 2 diabetes?
The UK has the highest level of adult obesity in Western Europe with 26% of adults classified as obese and a further 38% classified as overweight. Research shows that between 80% and 85% of people with Type 2 diabetes are also overweight or obese and there is a strong link between the two.
When the body stores too much fat, its cells can become resistant to insulin and this causes blood sugar levels to rise to dangerous levels. Reversing obesity through a structured diet and exercise programme before diabetic symptoms occur is the best and safest way to prevent diabetes from developing.
Why does ethnicity influence Type 2 diabetes rates?
It is as yet unknown why people from certain ethnicities are at higher risk of developing diabetes, however research shows that people of Black African, African Caribbean and South Asian origin are more likely to develop insulin resistance from the age of 25, while White people’s risk increases after the age of 40. It is thought that this could be to do with the way in which visceral fat is stored in the body and therefore lifestyle changes such as a healthy diet and structured exercise programme are recommended to reduce the risk. It is interesting to note, though, that a major difference between Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes relates to ethnicity, with autoimmune related diabetes not differentiating between people of different ethnicities.
