Publications
Partners
Many people still believe that a high-sugar diet causes diabetes. However, this is one of the most common misconceptions around diabetes, and has been declared untrue by the American Diabetes Association and many other scientific bodies.
There are three main types of diabetes. None of these are caused by eating too much sugar, but rather by the pancreas that doesn't work as it should.
Sugar is a natural nutrient used by the body to produce energy. It's derived from different types of carbohydrates (including table sugar, fruit, vegetables, grains and starches). In a healthy body, the pancreas produces a hormone called insulin which helps to deliver the sugar (or glucose) to your cells, providing your body with energy. When a person develops diabetes, the pancreas stops producing enough insulin, resulting in the glucose building up in the blood instead of moving into the cells.
Type 1 diabetes occurs when the pancreas cannot make insulin. It's caused by genetic and other unknown factors that trigger the onset of the disease, and mostly affects children and younger people (before the age of 40). Type 1 diabetics need to take insulin for the rest of their lives.
Type 2 diabetes occurs when the pancreas doesn't make enough insulin, the insulin doesn't work properly, or both. It's caused by genetics and lifestyle factors, and can occur in a person of any age. Following a diet high in kilojoules, whether from fat, protein or carbohydrates, can lead you to become overweight. This increases your risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
A third type of diabetes, gestational diabetes, occurs during pregnancy when hormone changes prevent insulin from working properly. Women with gestational diabetes usually need to take insulin. The condition usually resolves after the birth of the child.
