This post is going to cover the difference between type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
Maybe you have insulin resistance and wondering what the progression for you is? Maybe you’ve been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and wondering if you could get type 1. Maybe you’re just curious to know the difference?
Whatever your questions, hopefully this will help clear things up. And if there’s something left unanswered, please leave your comments below and I’ll be happy to answer them.
Type 1 Diabetes
Type 1 diabetes is a genetic condition that can get triggered by various environmental factors igniting an autoimmune response that leads to the destruction of pancreatic islets (cells in the pancreas) and the failure of insulin production. This often occurs for people during childhood but can occur later in life too. For all type 1 diabetes sufferers this results in the need for insulin replacement therapy because the pancreas simply can’t produce any insulin.
Diet and lifestyle are still very important to a person with type 1 diabetes but they can’t cure themselves of the disease because it is an autoimmune condition.
Type 2 Diabetes
Type 2 diabetes can have a strong genetic predisposition too, so if there is a history in your family, you could be more prone to getting it too. However for most people, type 2 diabetes is predominantly a result of unhealthy diet, weight gain, and physical inactivity. Stress also plays a big part too.
For many years it was a disease that was typically seen in people over 40 years of age. Now it’s increasing in younger age groups, adolescents and children, which is quite sad. Actually type 2 diabetes is growing in epidemic proportions with 1 person every 5 minutes being diagnosed in Australia. 1 in 2 Americans are predicted to have it by 2020. And currently 1.7 billion people worldwide are affected and this number is growing rapidly.
Once you’ve been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, the processes that have occured before have led to the progressive failure of insulin action. In the beginning we have a pancreas that pumps out insulin in just the right amounts. But things that drive up blood sugar, such as unhealthy diet and stress, make the pancreas work harder and you start over producing insulin. Eventually the pancreas can’t keep up with hormone production and so that progressive failure begins to occur.
The interesting thing is that the onset of type 2 diabetes can occur 5-10 years before diagnosis with the presence of insulin resistance. Once insulin levels keep rising, insulin receptor cells in the liver and muscles become less sensitive to the call out of insulin. This is further impacted by lack of activity. Insulin resistance is the number one precursor for type 2 diabetes but with a 5-10 year window there is ALOT you can do to help yourself before you reach a complete state of bad health.
And even if you have type 2 diabetes, you can turn it around through diet and lifestyle changes. Some people end up having to use insulin replacement therapy but with good management and a good diet and lifestyle plan, you can likely avoid this.
I love Dr Mark Hyman’s term ‘Diabesity’ that covers metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, pre-diabetes, adult onset diabetes and whatever else you want to call it. All of these conditions operate along a continuim of blood sugar balance/issues that eventually lead to full blown diabetes.
Diabetes is not something to be taken lightly because it comes with many health implications including problems with the cardiovascular system, eyes, kidneys, and feet. 13% of people with diabetes suffer nerve damage in the lower limbs, 15% have diabetes retinopathy, there is a 4 times greater risk of heart attack and stroke, a 3 times greater risk of kidney failure, a 15 times greater risk of limb amputations, and diabetes also causes blindness.
As you can see, it’s not a pretty picture and considering that type 2 diabetes is preventable and treatable then I’d say it’s better to do something about it, wouldn’t you agree?
The difference between type 1 and type 2 diabetes is that type 1 is not really a choice, while type 2 is.
What can you do?
I often say there are 4 easy things you can do.
- Eat well
- Move more
- Sleep soundly
- Stress less
Of course there are lots of specific ways you can optimize these 4 areas, but for now, if you just keep those things in mind then you can start making progress in the right direction.
Jedha
Nutritionist & Health Counselor
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