Type 1 Is Not a Lifestyle Condition

Type 1 is autoimmune. That means the immune system attacks your own body.

Your immune system is like a security guard against germs. In type 1, it mistakes insulin-making beta cells for invaders.

Beta cells are lost one at a time, over months to years. As they are lost, the body makes little or no insulin. What starts this is not fully known.

A close-up of the pancreas shows six round beta cells giving off small insulin dots. Immune cells move in between them and ring four of them, then those four are gone and little insulin is left. Last, an insulin pen gives insulin from outside the body.

Eating sugar does not cause type 1. Neither do daily habits, like how much you move.

Body size does not cause it either. People of any body size can develop type 1. That includes slim children and larger adults.

Type 1 comes from the immune attack, not one food or habit.

Food and activity still matter once someone has type 1. Both can move blood sugar up or down.

The body makes little or no insulin. So people with type 1 need insulin from outside the body. Their doctor sets the plan, including how and when it is given.

Ask your care team how food and activity fit your own plan.

Key takeaways

• Type 1 is autoimmune, and the exact trigger is not fully known.
• Sugar, body size and daily habits do not cause type 1.
• Food and activity still move blood sugar once someone has type 1.

Try it

The next time someone blames food or weight for type 1, write down one plain fact you could share.