Childhood diabetes is on the rise like never before. Both type 1 diabetes, and type 2 diabetes is skyrocketing, and medical breakthrough may finally be pinpointing to why.
While researchers may be unsure of what exactly causes type 1 diabetes, there’s some speculation as to why this type of diabetes is on the rise in children, and, believe it or not, that reason is stress!
Stress May Cause Type 1 Diabetes
With the number of diagnoses increasing each year, scientists decided it was time to take a look at why. They began going through the environmental changes that may be causing the increase. Some of the suspects that came into question were things like infections, higher birth rate, as well as consuming cow’s milk and gluten. After some investigation, scientists have declared that “serious life stress” is a cause of type 1 diabetes.
A study conducted on 10,500 healthy children found that severe stress resulted in the risk of a child getting type 1 diabetes to increase by three times!
The stressors at play included things like death, illness in the family, separation, or divorce.
With such an alarming study, the scientific community is starting to debate whether or not stress is a cause of type 1 diabetes.
Why is Stress to Blame?
So you may be wondering how stress has anything to do with developing diabetes. Here’s how it does.
Stress can create a higher demand for insulin, and, with increased stress, some cells may not be able to meet that higher demand. This is not to mention the fact that stress can significantly imbalance one’s immune system. Think of it this way: doesn’t it always seem that you get sick when you’re under chronic amounts of stress?
With all the imbalances stress can cause in the body, it’s no wonder it may be a trigger for type 1 diabetes.
Growing Too Fast Too Soon
Another reason behind the stress theory and diabetes is that children who are bigger and tend to grow faster than their friends may be at a greater risk of developing type 1 diabetes. This can put a different kind of stress on the body. That type of rapid growth is thought to overwork the organs and ultimately leave the larger children at a greater risk of developing type 1 diabetes.
Type 1 diabetes is on the rise, and more research is being done every day to determine what may be the cause. The best thing you can do now is reduced environmental stressors, and keep an eye out for any potential symptoms (increase thirst, frequent urination, fatigue, unplanned weight loss.)
If you suspect type 1 diabetes is haunting your child, it’s critical that you seek medical attention as untreated diabetes can be extremely dangerous.
[expand title=”References“]
The Times in Plain English. URL link. Accessed January 19, 2017.
U.S. News. URL link. Accessed January 19, 2017.
[/expand]
