"You'll get diabetes if you eat that!" A common phrase we hear used in the media and which people have adopted as part of their vocabulary. Come on, you hear it on t.v. shows, your friends might even jokingly say, "might want to ease off the chocolate, there, or you'll get diabetes!" Well, what I'm about to say may blow your mind! What if I told you, there is more than one type of diabetes and there is more than one way to get diabetes. Now, some may jokingly use the phrase but are aware of this, and others may use this phrase but not even have a clue about what diabetes really is. News outlets do not really get the distinctions between the different types of diabetes quite right either. The only people who get them right are probably diabetes geared advertisements, who might say in their disclaimer, "This medication is not for individuals with Type 1 diabetes" etc., etc. So, what are the different types of diabetes?

Well, the three main types of diabetes mellitus (Mellitus being characterized by a build up of sugar in the blood) are type 1, type 2, and gestational diabetes. There are many more types of diabetes but, for the purpose of this post, I will be sticking to the three main ones. Type 1 Diabetes is an autoimmune condition, in which the body attacks its own insulin-producing beta cells. No one knows for sure what causes this reaction, although it is thought that it can be a result of genetic or environmental factors. So, no, you cannot get Type 1 Diabetes by eating too much sugar. Furthermore, when one has Type 1 Diabetes (T1D), they are producing little-to-no-insulin, and are thus, insulin-dependent. For obvious reasons, not producing insulin is a bad thing, but scientifically speaking, the body uses the hormone (insulin) to turn sugar (glucose), into energy (yes, ATP! (ATP being that thing science teachers drilled in your head); no ATP, more problems. There is currently, no cure for Type 1 Diabetes, although, given the advancements in medicine, hopefully, there will be in the future. Type 2 Diabetes, on the other hand, is mainly contributed to Lifestyle, but in some cases, individuals can be genetically prone to insulin resistance. In Type 2 Diabetes, insulin resistance is seen. Think of it again, I'm sorry with all the science, I know, but I have to. Think of it as that lock-and-key model that you learn. The body produces insulin but is not responding to that insulin. So, the insulin goes by the receptor but is not able to bind to it. In Type 1 Diabetes, less insulin binds to the receptor, because less is being made. Think of it, as literally trying to open a door; in Type 2 Diabetes you just don't have the right key to your door, can't get in the house, because, your keys don't match the lock. In Type 1 Diabetes, well, you just keep losing the keys to your door, or just lost them entirely. Gestational Diabetes, on the other hand, occurs during pregnancy and occurs due to changes in hormones concerning pregnancy.

Type 1, Type 2, and Gestational Diabetes are, however, grouped as Diabetes mellitus, now, the exact definition for Diabetes Mellitus, means that there is a build-up of sugar in the blood, which is why the body is unable to properly produce its own glucose.

So, what exactly is Type 1 Diabetes? Type 1 Diabetes is an autoimmune condition in which the body attacks its own Beta cells, which produce insulin, leading the body to think that these beta cells are "invaders". Autoimmune conditions in general, are characterized by a response in which the body attacks its own healthy cells. No one really knows what causes this response in Type 1 Diabetes, although it is believed that Environmental and Genetic factors might be to blame. In my family, autoimmune conditions tend to run in the family (and since Type 1 Diabetes is such), explains why myself and two of my cousins also have Type 1 Diabetes. Type 1 Diabetics are, unfortunately, insulin-dependent for life, unless, a cure is discovered by science. Type 2 Diabetics, on the other hand, may be able to come off of insulin at some point in their lives. Sometimes you hear of Type 2 Diabetics saying this, or discussing, how they have "cured" their Type 2 Diabetes, meaning, that they no longer have to take insulin, maybe due to a change in lifestyle they might have made. But, you won't catch a Type 1 Diabetic saying they don't need insulin anymore unless they're 1) Straight-up crazy 2) unless they somehow know of a cure, haha. Now, what causes Type 2 Diabetes? In most cases it is lifestyle, but in some cases, individuals with Type 2 Diabetes, may be genetically predisposed to insulin resistance.

What exactly is my motive you might ask? Well, it is not to get people to stop saying, "Oh, you'll get diabetes if you eat that", it is just to fill in some gaps in information that some people who use the phrase might have regarding diabetes. All my life, I have been asked, did you eat too many sweets as a kid? Can you eat that? Well, I actually was an odd kid in the sense, I got excited by the prospect of broccoli and really didn't like sweets. I would get excited when neighbors gave out pretzels or carrots (yes, one year a neighbor gave out carrots for some reason) on Halloween, and I would ask my mom what candy she liked while trick-or-treating so I could give it to her. So, unless you've ever heard of broccoli causing diabetes let me know. Also, yes, I can pretty much eat everything (not that anyone should, and of course if you do eat dessert, in moderation), as long as I put in insulin for what I'm eating. Honestly, it's not the phrase I am butthurt about, more just the attitude toward it. But, in a nonconventional, sort of humorous way I hope I've been able to shed light on the differences between mainly Type 1 and Type 1 Diabetes. So, next time someone says to you, "you'll get diabetes if you eat that", you might retort, "oh yeah buddy, which one and how?"