Understanding Diabetes Types and Causes
What diabetes is, why it happens and how the different types compare, explained in plain, simple words.
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About this course
What diabetes is, why it happens and how the different types compare, explained in plain, simple words.
Diabetes is not one condition. This course explains how blood sugar and insulin work, what goes wrong in each type of diabetes, and what is known about the causes.
You will learn the difference between type 1, type 2 and other types, what prediabetes and gestational diabetes mean, and which common myths to let go of. It is completely free.
What you will learn
Medically reviewed by
Dr. Shanto Arian is an internal medicine physician now specializing in clinical and aesthetic dermatology, with a parallel academic focus on epidemiology and public health. He holds an MBBS, MPH, MSc (UK), MRCP (UK), MRCPI (Ireland), Diploma in Dermatology (UK), and Diploma in Aesthetic Medicine (USA). Dr. Arian trained in internal medicine, including hospital work on hematology cases such as graft-versus-host disease, before moving toward dermatology. Skin is one of the earliest places diabetes shows itself, from acanthosis nigricans and diabetic dermopathy to slow foot wound healing, and that intersection is where his clinical and Diabic-review work meet. On Diabic, Dr. Arian medically reviews content on diabetes diagnosis, complications, dermatologic manifestations, and pharmacotherapy, ensuring every claim aligns with current ADA, NICE, and peer-reviewed literature.
For learning only. Talk to your doctor before changing medicine or habits.
Chapter 1: What Diabetes Is
- American Diabetes AssociationAmerican Diabetes Association: About diabetes (opens in a new tab)
- NIDDKType 1 Diabetes (opens in a new tab)
- NIDDKType 2 Diabetes (opens in a new tab)
- American Diabetes AssociationDiabetes Care, Standards of Care supplement 2025 (opens in a new tab)
- CDCDiabetes Risk Factors (opens in a new tab)
- Mayo ClinicType 1 diabetes - Symptoms and causes (opens in a new tab)
- NIDDKDiabetes Overview (opens in a new tab)
Chapter 2: Blood Sugar and Insulin
Chapter 3: Insulin Resistance
- NIDDKInsulin Resistance & Prediabetes (opens in a new tab)
- National Library of MedicinePubMed article 19515410 (opens in a new tab)
- UK Prospective Diabetes Study 16PubMed article 7589820 (opens in a new tab)
- NIDDKDiabetes Prevention Program (DPP) (opens in a new tab)
- National Library of MedicinePubMed article 27926890 (opens in a new tab)
- National Library of MedicinePubMed article 26944909 (opens in a new tab)
- National Library of MedicinePubMed article 20371664 (opens in a new tab)
Chapter 4: What Causes Type 1
Chapter 5: What Causes Type 2
Chapter 6: Other Types of Diabetes
Chapter 7: Prediabetes and Gestational Diabetes
- American Diabetes AssociationAmerican Diabetes Association: Prediabetes (opens in a new tab)
- Mayo ClinicPrediabetes - Diagnosis and treatment (opens in a new tab)
- MedlinePlusBlood Glucose Test: MedlinePlus Medical Test (opens in a new tab)
- CDCDiabetes Testing (opens in a new tab)
- NIDDKThe A1C Test & Diabetes (opens in a new tab)
- New England Journal of MedicinePubMed article 11832527 (opens in a new tab)
- NIDDKGestational Diabetes (opens in a new tab)
- American College of Obstetricians and GynecologistsGestational Diabetes (opens in a new tab)
- American Diabetes AssociationAmerican Diabetes Association: Standards of Care, 15 management of diabetes in pregnancy standards (opens in a new tab)
- BMJPubMed article 32404325 (opens in a new tab)
- CDCBreastfeeding Benefits Both Baby and Mom (opens in a new tab)
- American Diabetes AssociationAmerican Diabetes Association: Diabetes diagnosis (opens in a new tab)
- CDCNational Diabetes Prevention Program (opens in a new tab)
Chapter 8: Common Myths
- NIDDKInsulin, Medicines, & Other Diabetes Treatments (opens in a new tab)
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public HealthHarvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health diabetes page (opens in a new tab)
- BMJPubMed article 26199070 (opens in a new tab)
- American Diabetes AssociationAmerican Diabetes Association: Diagnosis criteria, A1c diagnosis (opens in a new tab)
- American Diabetes AssociationStandards of Care
- American Diabetes AssociationDiagnosis criteria
Further reading on Diabic
- What Is Diabetes? The Only Guide You Need
- Type 1 vs Type 2 Diabetes: How Lab Tests Tell Them Apart
- Type 2 Diabetes Causes and Who Is at Risk
- Type 1 Diabetes Causes and Risk Factors
- Is Diabetes Genetic? The Truth About Heredity
- Diabetes Mellitus: What Most People Get Wrong
- What Is Insulin? Function and Risks Without It
- Blood Sugar After Food: What's Normal
- High Blood Sugar Symptoms You Shouldn't Ignore
- Can You Reverse Insulin Resistance? What the Research
- Insulin Resistance Symptoms Most People Overlook
- Losing Weight with Insulin Resistance: What Actually Helps
- Insulin Resistance Treatment Options Explained
- How Type 2 Diabetes Progresses Over the Years
- The Sleep and Blood Sugar Connection Explained
- What Is Type 1 Diabetes? A Clear Explanation
- Insulin Therapy for Type 1 Diabetes Explained
- Living With Type 1 Diabetes: A Daily Guide
- Type 1 Diabetes Diagnosis: Tests and Next Steps
- Insulin Pump for Type 1 Diabetes: A Practical Guide
- Can Exercise Prevent Diabetes? Research Says Yes
- What Is Type 2 Diabetes? A Straightforward Guide
- Article on diabetes genetics
- MODY Diabetes: The Genetic Type Often Misdiagnosed
- What Is LADA Diabetes? A Type Often Misdiagnosed
- Secondary Diabetes: When Another Condition Is the Cause
- Gestational Diabetes After Birth: What Comes Next
- Gestational Diabetes Causes and Risk Factors
- Glucose Test During Pregnancy: What to Expect
- What Your Fasting Blood Sugar Number Actually Means
- Is Your Blood Sugar in the Prediabetes Range?
- Pre Diabetes Explained: Numbers, Risks, Next Steps
- Diabetes Insulin Myths: What People Get Wrong
- Diabetes Age Myths: Why Young People Get It Too
- Does Sugar Cause Diabetes? What Research Shows
- Fasting vs Postprandial Glucose: What's the Difference