Sugar & Diabetes

Will eating sugar cause diabetes? Not directly.

Eating excess amounts of sugar will not directly cause diabetes. The amount of sugar (glucose) in our blood is managed by insulin, which is produced by the pancreas. Insulin keeps the glucose level within a normal range.

In type 1 diabetes, the pancreas does not produce enough insulin and individuals must take artificial insulin injections to keep the blood glucose level normal. Type 2 diabetes occurs when the body becomes resistant to insulin and the pancreas cannot make enough insulin to overcome this resistance.

So, what is sugar’s role, when it comes to causing diabetes? Eating too much of it can lead to weight gain. When an individual has excess amounts of fatty tissue, especially in the abdominal area, he or she could be at risk for developing type 2 diabetes.