Type 1 diabetes could be a virally induced autoimmune response. Autoimmunity is a condition where one 's own immune system "attacks" structures in one 's own body either destroying the tissue or decreasing its functionality.

In order to appreciate the cause for the condition known as diabetes, one must first look at what occurs in the body of a healthy individual, particularly after such an individual has recently eaten a food that is high in carbohydrates (sugar or starch). Digestive juices rapidly act on a starch, changing it to a simple sugar. All sugars in digested food mix with all the foods in the stomach. That mix in the stomach then enters the intestines.