At first, the pancreas makes more insulin to keep up with the added demand. As a result, your body needs more insulin to help glucose enter cells. Type 2 diabetes usually begins with insulin resistance, a condition in which muscle, liver, and fat cells do not use insulin well. To see if your weight puts you at risk for type 2 diabetes, check out these Body Mass Index (BMI) charts. Extra belly fat is linked to insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, and heart and blood vessel disease.

The location of body fat also makes a difference. Extra weight sometimes causes insulin resistance and is common in people with type 2 diabetes. You are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes if you are not physically active and are overweight or obese. Overweight, obesity, and physical inactivity Type 2 diabetes-the most common form of diabetes-is caused by several factors, including lifestyle factors and genes. Studies such as TrialNet are working to pinpoint causes of type 1 diabetes and possible ways to prevent or slow the disease. Scientists think type 1 diabetes is caused by genes and environmental factors, such as viruses, that might trigger the disease.

Type 1 diabetes occurs when your immune system, the body’s system for fighting infection, attacks and destroys the insulin-producing beta cells of the pancreas. Some people do not find out they have the disease until they have diabetes-related health problems, such as blurred vision or heart trouble. Many people with type 2 diabetes have no symptoms. Symptoms of type 2 diabetes often develop slowly-over the course of several years-and can be so mild that you might not even notice them. Symptoms of type 1 diabetes can start quickly, in a matter of weeks.

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