Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune condition associated with genetics and may develop suddenly. Type 2 diabetes often develops over time, with obesity and a lack of exercise as the main risk factors.
Type 1 and type 2 diabetes may have similar names, but they have different causes.
The key difference between type 1 and type 2 diabetes is that type 1 is associated with an autoimmune response and usually develops early in life.
Type 2 diabetes may develop over the course of many years. It is commonly related to lifestyle factors, such as living a sedentary life and eating a diet rich in carbs and sugars. Risk factors for type 1 diabetes are not as clear, but family history may play a role.
The body’s immune system is responsible for fighting off foreign invaders, such as harmful viruses and bacteria. It’s our own personal defense army.
But the immune system may get confused for many reasons. In Type 1 diabetes, the immune system mistakes the body’s healthy cells for foreign ones and tries to fight them. In this case, the immune system attacks and destroys the insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas, preventing the body from producing needed insulin.
Researchers have yet to establish the mechanisms behind this autoimmune response. They have theorized that it may be related to genetic and environmental factors, such as chronic exposure to viruses.
Research into autoimmune diseases, including type 1 diabetes, is ongoing. Diet and lifestyle habits are not directly linked to type 1 diabetes.
People with type 2 diabetes have insulin resistance. Their bodies still produce insulin, but they are unable to use it effectively.
Researchers aren’t sure why some people become insulin resistant and others don’t. Several lifestyle factors seem to contribute, including being inactive and being over the recommended weight for your age and height. Other genetic and environmental factors may also play a role.
When you develop type 2 diabetes, your pancreas will try to compensate by producing more insulin. Because your body is unable to effectively use insulin, glucose accumulates in your bloodstream, and your blood sugar levels start increasing over time.
Both types of diabetes are chronic diseases that affect the way your body regulates blood sugar or glucose. Glucose is the fuel that feeds your body’s cells, but to enter your cells it needs a key. Insulin is that key.
People with type 1 diabetes don’t produce insulin. You can think of it as not having a key.
People with type 2 diabetes don’t respond to insulin as well as they should and, later in the disease, often don’t make enough insulin. You can think of it as having a broken key.
Both types of diabetes can lead to chronically high blood sugar levels that increase the chance of diabetes complications.
Risk factors for type 1 diabetes are less clear than risk factors for type 2 diabetes.
Known risk factors for diabetes type 1 include:
- Family history: People with a parent or sibling with type 1 diabetes have a higher chance of developing the condition.
- Age: Type 1 diabetes can appear at any age, but the onset is common during childhood or adolescence.
Risk factors for type 2 diabetes
- prediabetes, or slightly elevated blood sugar levels
- excess weight or obesity
- excess of belly fat
- physical inactivity (sedentary life)
- age (over 45)
- history of gestational diabetes (diabetes during pregnancy)
- birthing a baby weighing more than 9 pounds
- family history of type 2 diabetes
- polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
Because of many structural and systemic inequities that contribute to healthcare disparities, diabetes type 2 may be more common among Black, Hispanic or Latino, American Indian, or Alaska Native communities.
Symptoms of unmanaged type 1 and type 2 diabetes
- urinating frequently
- feeling very thirsty
- feeling very hungry
- feeling very fatigued
- having blurry vision
- having cuts or sores that don’t heal properly
- having blurry vision
- having very dry skin
- having more local or systemic infections than your usual
People with type 1 and type 2 diabetes may also experience irritability, mood changes, and unintentional weight loss.
Although many of the symptoms of type 1 and type 2 diabetes are similar, they present in different ways.
Many people with type 2 diabetes won’t have symptoms for many years, and their symptoms
Some people with type 2 diabetes have no symptoms at all and don’t discover they have the condition until complications arise.
The symptoms of type 1 diabetes develop quickly, typically over the course of several weeks.
Once known as juvenile diabetes, type 1 diabetes usually develops in childhood or adolescence. But it’s possible to develop type 1 diabetes later in life.
Diabetes and numbness in hands and feet
People with type 1 and type 2 diabetes may experience numbness and tingling in their hands or feet.
According to the American Diabetes Association (ADA), glucose management significantly reduces the risk of developing numbness and tingling in people with type 1 diabetes.
Discover more about Type 2 Diabetes
Type 1 diabetes
There’s currently no cure for type 1 diabetes. People with type 1 diabetes don’t produce insulin, so it
Some people use injections in the stomach, arm, or buttocks, several times a day. Other people use insulin pumps. Insulin pumps supply a steady amount of insulin into the body through a small tube.
Blood sugar testing is an essential part of managing type 1 diabetes because blood sugar levels can go up and down quickly.
Type 2 diabetes
Type 2 diabetes
Monitoring your blood sugar is also essential for managing type 2 diabetes. It’s the only way to know whether you’re meeting your target levels.
A doctor may recommend testing your blood sugar occasionally or frequently. If your blood sugar levels are high, they may recommend insulin injections.
Type 1 diabetes can’t be prevented. It may be possible to lower your risk of developing type 2 diabetes through lifestyle changes, such as:
- maintaining a moderate weight
- working with a doctor to develop a healthy weight loss plan, if you have overweight
- increasing your activity levels
- eating a balanced diet and reducing your intake of sugary foods or overly processed foods
Even if you can’t prevent the condition, careful monitoring can restore your blood sugar levels and prevent the development of severe complications.
Men and women get diabetes at roughly the same rate. But prevalence rates are higher among certain races and ethnicities in the United States.
Statistics show that diabetes occurs more frequently among historically marginalized populations in the United States.
Research suggests that this may be due in part to environmental factors, such as the United States’ history of discriminatory housing and lending policies.
Researchers posit that these policies resulted in racially and ethnically segregated neighborhoods that have inadequate access to healthy foods, insufficient health educational resources, and higher rates of obesity, a risk factor for type 2 diabetes.
American Indian and Alaska Native adults are almost three times more likely than non-Hispanic white adults to be diagnosed with diabetes.
For both men and women, diabetes diagnoses
Prevalence rates are higher for Hispanic Americans of Mexican or Puerto Rican descent than they are for those of Central and South American or Cuban descent.
Among non-Hispanic Asian Americans, people with Asian Indian and Filipino ancestry have higher rates of diabetes than people with Chinese or other Asian ancestry.
Nutritional management and managing your blood sugar are key to living with diabetes.
If you have type 1 diabetes, try to work with a doctor to identify how much insulin you may need to inject after eating certain types of food.
For example, certain carbohydrates can cause blood sugar levels to quickly increase in people with type 1 diabetes. You’ll need to counteract this by taking insulin, but you’ll need to know how much insulin to take.
People with type 2 diabetes need to focus on regular healthy eating.
Weight loss
Typically, doctors recommend that people with type 2 diabetes or prediabetes reduce their consumption of processed foods, trans fats, sugary drinks, and alcohol.
People with diabetes may need to try different diets and nutritional plans to find a plan that works for their health, lifestyle, and budget.
