An increased level of glucose (blood sugar) referred to as glycaemia causes diabetes. But it’s still not very clear why the body is unable to keep blood glucose levels within the normal range of 3.5-7.8 mmol/l.
Diabetes tends to run in families but just because someone in your family has it, doesn’t mean you’ll get it but the chances are higher.
People with Aboriginal, Torres Strait or Pacific Islander backgrounds are more likely to get diabetes and Chinese and Indian subcontinent cultures are also at greater risk.
In type 1 diabetes the body can’t make insulin because insulin producing cells in the pancreas have been damaged or destroyed. Sometimes this is caused by the body’s own immune system attacking the pancreas. In other words, diabetes may be an ‘autoimmune disease’. We don’t know why it happens but it may be an abnormal response to a virus, exposure to food borne chemicals or toxins or even exposure as an infant to something in cow’s milk.
In type 2 diabetes the body doesn’t make enough insulin or the insulin doesn’t work properly (insulin resistance). Being overweight is the main cause.
One of things needed for insulin to work well is normal body weight. In people who are obese or overweight insulin doesn’t work as effectively and this can be a cause of diabetes particularly in older people who are sedentary and don’t get exercise.
Another possible cause is when the pancreas is damaged by other disease such as pancreatitis where the pancreas is inflamed and damaged by a virus, gallstones or by excess alcohol consumption.
Gestational diabetes is a temporary type of diabetes that develops during pregnancy. It goes away after the baby is born but it does put those mothers at greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in life.
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Diabetes Overview 
