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Most of the replies classified Type 1 Diabetes as autoimmune and related to Celiac, compared to Type 2 which is mainly related to weight, exercise and lifestyle. However, there were a couple of replies which suggested that there is a gray area that is still being researched indicating that both types might be on Diabetes continuum. Thank you for the information.
Type 1 diabetes is the result of an autoimmune attack on the islet cells of the pancreas. This attack kills the cells that produce insulin, a hormone that moves glucose from the bloodstream into cells, to be utilized for energy. Until the 1920s, a low carbohydrate diet was used to treat type 1 diabetics before the discovery of insulin at the University of Toronto. Now, type 1 diabetics can eat carbohydrates by balancing their insulin intake with their carbohydrate intake. It is sometimes a difficult task to balance these factors and is doubly difficult if the person has undiagnosed celiac disease. Type 2 diabetes is a condition where insulin is produced by the islet cells but the cells have become insulin resistant, requiring more and more insulin to move glucose into the cells. This type of diabetes is caused by a combination of genetic susceptibility and excessive carbohydrate consumption which leads to excessive insulin production and results in the cells becoming insulin resistant. At least in the early stages, type 2 diabetes is easily reversed by a low carbohydrate diet. Because different cells develop insulin resistance at different rates, type 2 diabetes usually begins with experiencing weight gain and lethargy. The muscle cells are insulin resistant, and don't get enough energy, while the adipose tissues continue to store fat. Eventually, if cardiovascular disease, cancer, or stroke doesn't kill them first, even the adipose tissues become insulin resistant and the type 2 diabetic begins to lose weight.
Type 2 is not considered an autoimmune disease. In an autoimmune disease there is a part of the body that attacks itself. In celiac it is the lining of the small intestine that gets damaged. In type 1 diabetes, the beta cells in the pancreas are destroyed. Beta cells make insulin which is why anyone with type 1 diabetes must take insulin. I can't explain the science behind why both celiac and type 1 occurs more often in people who already have one of the diseases, but once you have one autoimmune you are at greater risk of getting another. In the case of celiac, it's type 1 that tend to run together with it. Thyroid disease (another autoimmune) is also more prevalent in people that have celiac and type 1 diabetes. (Unfortunately my daughter has all three conditions.) In Type 2, insulin is still produced but something goes wrong with how the cells use the insulin to take glucose into the cell. It is like the key doesn't open the door to the cell. So glucose accumulates in the blood and you get high blood glucose readings. But in the early stages of type 2 it is possible to control it just by cutting back on eating carbohydrates. Sometimes the person will have to start using insulin if things get really out of control with the blood sugar. But none of this is caused by an autoimmune reaction. When they say that diabetes and celiac can go together, it is type 1 that they are talking about.
At the moment Type 1 And 2 are categorized as separate diseases. Type 1 is autoimmune in that the body is attacking the cells, type 2 is where the pancreas has stopped responding to insulin. However, I read in the New Scientist that there is a new thought that both types of diabetes are on a continuum and are both the same disease at different points.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12059095
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