BACK TO BASICS: TYPE 1 VERSUS TYPE 2
Type 1 Diabetes (T1D), which was formerly known as juvenile diabetes, is a chronic autoimmune condition that makes the body unable to produce which is the hormone that regulates blood sugar. Without insulin, our bodies cannot use the sugar in our bloodstream as energy, causing people to experience Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA).
T1D occurs at every age and to people in every race, shape and size and is neither preventable nor curable and while its cause is unknown, studies suggest that T1D results from a genetic predisposition, typically combined with an environmental trigger such as an an immune-associated, if not directly immune-mediated, destruction of insulin-producing pancreatic Beta cells.
T1D is an incurable, autoimmune disease, not a lifestyle disease and accounts for roughly 10% of the more than 420 million global cases of diabetes, and people with Type 1 are insulin-dependent for life. Diabetes was the seventh leading cause of death in the United States in 2017 based on almost 80,000 death certificates in which diabetes was listed as the underlying cause of death.
Type 2 diabetes occurs when the body cannot properly use the insulin it produces and can sometimes be referred to as insulin resistance. When we eat, our bodies break down complex carbohydrates into glucose, the fuel we need. The pancreas releases insulin that acts as a kind of key to unlock the cells, allowing glucose to enter and be absorbed.
There are certain factors believed to be responsible for developing Type 2 diabetes such as obesity, sedentary lifestyle, smoking as well as a genetic predisposition; and can often be treated through diet, exercise and medication.
Of the 415 million diabetes cases globally, 90% are estimated to be Type 2. There currently is no cure for Type 2 diabetes, but it can often be managed.