Different types of diabetes

The two common types of diabetes are type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

Type 1 diabetes is when the body does not produce insulin, known as autoimmune response. Causes of type 1 diabetes are not known but evidence has shown that a genetic predisposition and environmental factors could be linked to type 1.

Type 2 diabetes is when there is an abnormal amount of insulin in the body. Children can also be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Causes for type 2 diabetes include aging, obesity, and physical inactivity.

Heredity is a cause for both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. As the Los Angeles Chinese Learning Center stated,

If both parents have Type 2 diabetes, there is a chance that nearly all of their children will have diabetes. If both parents have Type 1 diabetes, fewer than 20 percent of their children will develop Type 1 diabetes. In identical twins, if one twin develops Type 2 diabetes, the chance is nearly 100 percent that the other twin will also develop it. In Type 1 diabetes, however, only 40 to 50 percent of the second twins will develop the disease, indicating that while inheritance is important, environmental factors (for example, too much food, too much stress, viral infection, and so forth) are also involved in the development of Type 1 diabetes.

Treatment for type 1 diabetes is taking insulin injections. Treatments for type 2 diabetes include diet, exercise, weight loss, and taking medications such as Actos, Avandia, Metformin, and many others.