Although the cause of diabetes is still a mystery, we know that both genetics and many environmental factors play an important part.  Experts are still trying to find out what triggers the pancreas to stop producing and using insulin.  The influencing factors could be heredity, viral infection, age, weight and stress.   While there are approximately 20 million people in the United States with diabetes, only one third of them have been diagnosed, the remaining are unaware that they have diabetes.  While researchers are still trying to determine the cause of diabetes, there are many facts about diabetes that we do know. About one-third of people with diabetes don't know they have it. But they are still at risk for extra problems that can happen with diabetes.  Diabetes is getting more common. From 1990 to 1998, the number of people with a diabetes diagnosis increased by more than one-third. In 1990, almost 5 percent of people had this diagnosis. By 1998, more than 6 percent people did.  The increase in diabetes in the United States is linked to the increase in obesity. Between 1991 and 2000, the number of people who were obese grew by about 60 percent. Diet plays a lead role in the treatment and control of diabetes. It’s not a just a matter of avoiding foods rich in simple carbohydrates, but of establishing an eating regimen that prevents peaks of glucose from entering the blood. According to the World Diabetes Federation Some 80% of Type 2 diabetes is preventable by improving the living environment. This includes dietary changes and an increase in physical activity.If you are diabetic, it is essential that any time you make changes to your diet, that you should test your blood sugar in tandem in order to measure the effects of those changes. You should always consult your physician before making drastic changes to your diet. Check your blood sugar regularly in order to get a feel as to what works for your body and which foods help you achieve the best possible control of your blood sugar. Type 1 diabetes, once known as juvenile diabetes or insulin-dependent diabetes, is a condition in which the pancreas produces little or no insulin, a hormone needed to convert sugar (glucose) into energy. Type 1 diabetes can develop at any age; however, it typically appears during childhood or young adulthood. In most cases of type 1 diabetes, people need to inherit risk from both parents.  Because most people who are at risk do not ever get diabetes, researchers want to find out what the environmental triggers are. One trigger could be cold weather.  Type 1 diabetes develops more often in winter than summer and is more frequent in places with cold climates.  Another environmental trigger might be a virus.  Quite possibly a virus that has only mild effects on most people triggers type 1 diabetes in others.