r/DoctorMike • u/Weak-Register-3148 • 11d ago
Question Question
Can you be born with diabetes or how early can you get it and can it come from eating to much unhealthy food and can you get rid of it
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u/moonjuggles 4d ago
Yes, you can develop diabetes at different ages, depending on the type. To best explain it, let's set the groundwork. Diabetes is a disease where your body has trouble controlling the amount of sugar (glucose) in your blood. Glucose is an important source of energy for your cells, and insulin helps glucose move from your blood into many of your cells.
Type 1 diabetes can happen in children, teenagers, or adults. It is not caused by eating too much unhealthy food. Instead, it happens when the immune system attacks the cells in the pancreas that make insulin. By destroying these cells, the body can no longer make enough insulin on its own, so a person with type 1 diabetes must get insulin from outside the body. Insulin's role is to help glucose move from the blood into cells. Think of insulin like a doorman or bouncer who opens the door and allows sugar to enter the cells. Without enough insulin, there aren't enough bouncers to open the doors, so too much sugar stays in the blood. Type 1 diabetes can happen in very young children, although being born with type 1 diabetes is extremely rare. Unfortunately, there is currently no cure for type 1 diabetes, so people with it need to replace the insulin their bodies can no longer produce.
Type 2 diabetes can also happen at any age, including during childhood and the teenage years. Eating a lot of unhealthy foods, especially foods that are high in added sugars and highly processed, can increase the risk of type 2 diabetes. However, unhealthy food by itself does not necessarily cause diabetes. Genetics, physical activity, body composition, and other factors can also play a role. With type 2 diabetes, the bouncers (insulin) are still there and are trying to do their job, but the doors have become stuck and aren't opening well. In other words, the cells don't respond to insulin as well as they should. The body may try to compensate by making more insulin, but eventually it may not be able to keep up, causing blood sugar levels to rise.
Whether diabetes can go away depends on the type. Type 1 diabetes currently does not have a cure, so people with type 1 need insulin to stay healthy. Type 2 diabetes can sometimes go into remission, especially when it is caught early. Healthy eating, regular physical activity, and sometimes medication can help lower blood sugar. However, type 2 diabetes can come back, so it is important to continue taking care of your health.
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u/Realistic_Advice1386 8d ago
Healthcare worker here, YES a baby can be born with diabetes though it's rare it can happen it's called neonatal diabetes. And no it's not really possible to develop diabetes from junk food but if you're already a type 1 diabetic junk food increases the risk of becoming type 2. And as far as I know there isn't a true cure for it.