Are you eating too much sweet treats such as chocolates, cakes, cupcakes, and such? Think twice before you start munching on those bars of goodies again. This is not to scare you but merely to caution you that too much is not always a good thing, but can eventually be harmful to your health. Sweets are okay when taken in moderation. But there are also risks when you eat beyond the recommended daily intake. One of the many risks you might have to watch out for is diabetes.

Diabetes is characterized by the inability of the body to control blood sugar levels. The blood sugar level in the body is controlled by the hormone insulin. If blood sugar levels are not matched by the insulin levels, the result is an excess of the sugar present in the blood. If there is too much sugar present in the blood, it will interfere with the production of insulin in the body.

Therefore, you have more sugar with less insulin to convert into energy. That is how you have diabetes. Many people ask, how do you get diabetes? Are eating sweets the only culprit to this disease? Here are some of the causes on how you can get the disease.

How do you get diabetes

• Heredity – if one or more of your forefathers have diabetes there is a great risk that you too might develop the disease. The diabetic genes can be passed on to the next generation. But the chances and amount of risk that you have is dependent upon the closeness in blood relation to the relative who had one. If he is a direct relative such as a parent, there is a 2-3% chance that you will have it too. Grandchildren of the diagnosed have a lower risk of incurring diabetes.

• Age – another answer to the question how do you get diabetes is the age factor. Although the younger generation is still not spared from the disease, it just happens more often in the older population. Most diabetes cases, approximately 80% happen to people over the age of 50. The risk increases as one gets older.

• Poor Diet – this is probably the most common answer to all how do you get diabetes questions. As aforementioned, too many sweets in your diet can eventually evolve into diabetes. But sweets aren’t the only source of sugar in the body. Rice is also high in sugar and other wheat products. Thus it is advised that you eat more fiber-rich products such as oatmeal and whole wheat breads instead for sources of carbohydrates which are low in sugar content.

• Sedentary Lifestyle – if you want to prevent and avoid risks of diabetes, exercising everyday is a must. People with a sedentary lifestyle are more prone to developing diabetes since most sugar in their body is not converted into energy. Don’t let sugar accumulate in your body. Convert them into energy instead of fat by exercising regularly.

These are just some of the common answers to the question how do you get diabetes. Now that you know what causes diabetes, it is up to you to plan your meals and lifestyle to avoid risks of having diabetes.

Read also how to lose weight if you have diabetes, it will show you what it more hard to lose weight for peoples with diabetes. So use our tips and do everything to prevent getting diabetes!