Description

• Diabetes is a disease that affects the body's ability to produce or use insulin properly. Insulin is a hormone the body needs in order to convert sugar, starches and other foods into usable energy. Whether you are at risk for diabetes depends on your genetic disposition and diet.
  
  

Types

• There are four major types of diabetes: type 1, type 2, gestational and prediabetes. Type 1 results from the body's failure to produce insulin and is genetic. Type 2 results from insulin resistance in the body in combination with relative insulin deficiency. Unlike type 1, type 2 is usually brought on by diet. Lastly, gestational diabetes occurs in women after pregnancy, and prediabetes occurs when your sugar levels are higher than normal but are not high enough to warrant a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes.
  
  

Processed Meats Increase Risk

• According to diabetesmellituscare.com, frequent consumption of processed meats such as hot dogs and bacon increases your risk for developing type 2 diabetes. In 2003, researchers for the Women's Health Study found a positive correlation between consumption of red and processed meats and diabetes. More specifically, participants in the study who ate bacon twice a week had an increased risk of 17 percent for developing diabetes. Similarly, participants who ate hot dogs twice per week had an increased risk of 24 percent for developing diabetes.
  
  

Excess Eating

• Eating in excess, whether it is too many carbohydrates, fats or proteins, is harmful to the body and can trigger diabetes. According to diabetesmellitus-information.com, eating too much food taxes the pancreas, which is responsible for secreting insulin. If not enough insulin is secreted, blood glucose levels rise, which leads to diabetes. Overeating can also lead to obesity, which is a major risk factor for diabetes, according to the American Diabetes Association.
  
  

Foods to Avoid

• Since diabetes affects blood sugar levels, it is important that individuals with diabetes or prediabetes avoid all sugars including foods and drinks that contain sugar, such as candy, gum, desserts, sodas, pastries and syrups. Starchy vegetables like potatoes and sweet fruits such as bananas, mangoes, grapes and dried fruits should also be avoided. Other foods like meats, fats, processed grains, salt and caffeine can also aggravate diabetes in some individuals.