Foods That Cause Type 2 Diabetes

Type 2 diabetes refers to the condition where the pancreas does not produce enough insulin or when the cells in the body resist insulin. Dietary habits have been proved to be a potential root for diabetes, and scientists around the world identify improper food habits to be one of the major reasons for the growing rate of diabetics worldwide.

How foods cause diabetes

• Food is converted into energy by our bodies, a part of which is infused into the bloodstream as glucose to be supplied to the cells. The insulin released by the pancreas serves the purpose of making this glucose available for the cells by moving it into the cells from blood. A well-balanced diet helps maintain this metabolic process, but imbalance in the diet disrupts this process and eventually causes diabetes.

Foods rich in sugar

• The idea that sugar causes diabetes is a popular myth, but sugar does influence diabetes considerably. Sugar is a carbohydrate, and when there is a high amount of carbohydrates in the diet, it results in high blood sugar levels, causing the pancreas to release more insulin to move the glucose out of the bloodstream. Thus, the blood sugar levels become lower than before, and the person grows hungry again. These fluctuations source diabetes as excess sugar is stored as fat, causing subsequent weight gain. Fat, especially around the abdomen, increases risks of insulin resistance as more insulin is required to maintain the glucose balance. This becomes a never-ending cycle as more insulin in the blood means more fat, and this again leads to insulin resistance.

Refined foods and beverages

• Refined food and beverages also contribute to diabetes. Refined food, forming a major part in the diet of an average person, provokes the release of more insulin, which gets stored as fat and eventually renders the cells less sensitive to insulin.

Processed meats and fatty foods

• Processed meats like bacon, burgers and hot dogs are said to be more influential in causing diabetes. The women's Health study in 2003 revealed that those who ate red meat and processed meat more than once a week were at a higher risk of developing diabetes than those who ate processed meat less than once a week.

  Researchers at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine have also proved the close association between fatty foods and diabetes. They have demonstrated how fatty foods damage a gene in charge of insulin secretion.

Poor diet and diabetes

• Though foods are not directly responsible for causing diabetes, a diet lacking the proper balance of nutrition necessary for the body's function will disrupt the metabolism, paving the way for diabetes.