The human body is an excellent machine. The various glands and organs of the body work in coordination to perform a host of body functions effectively. Unfortunately, if one of the components of this machine turns faulty, it often affects the whole body.
The Thread Between Insulin and Diabetes
Glucose or sugar, as it is commonly called, is the source of energy for the body. It is obtained from the food we eat. During digestion, the complex food is broken down into simple sugars and absorbed into the bloodstream. The cells of the body take in sugar from the bloodstream to produce energy. The uptake of sugar by the body’s cells is aided by a hormone called insulin.
Diabetes is the result of either the body not producing enough insulin or the body’s cells being unable to respond to its presence. In such a case where there is insufficient insulin, the sugar in the blood cannot be taken up by the cells and remains in the bloodstream. High blood sugar level is a characteristic feature of diabetes.
The Early Phase of Diabetes- Insulin Resistance and Prediabetes
Diabetes does not occur suddenly within a day or two but gradually takes place over few months or years. During this time, the body becomes insensitive to insulin and does not let glucose enter the body’s cells. Even though insulin may be present in sufficient amount, the body’s cells do not respond to it. Consequently, the sugar in the blood rises, triggering the pancreas to produce more insulin. This stage is termed as insulin resistance, where both the blood sugar and insulin levels become high. Despite the elevated blood sugar levels and insulin, the body is unable to consume the sugars. Insulin resistance can be reversed, provided you start consuming a suitable diet and include physical activity in your lifestyle. However, if you are ignorant of insulin resistance and neglect it, the pancreas become overworked and eventually fail, making the blood sugar levels increase further. Thus, neglected insulin resistance may increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes in the future. According to some scientists, genetic factors may play an important role in the development of insulin resistance and diabetes.
There’s another condition called prediabetes which is thought to be the initial stage of diabetes and is like a warning stage for upcoming diabetes. If you have prediabetes, even though your blood sugars may be high, it is not high enough to be diagnosed as having diabetes. It only indicates that your chances of developing type 2 diabetes in the future is quite high. However, there is good news too. Not everyone who is prediabetic develops type 2 diabetes. If one is careful to get timely intervention and follow a healthy lifestyle, prediabetes can be reversed and the levels of blood sugar can be controlled.
In type 2 diabetes, although the pancreas produces sufficient amount of insulin, the body’s cells become insensitive to its presence. As a result, the body’s cells are not able to take up glucose from the bloodstream. This gets interpreted by the body as a lack of insulin, prompting the pancreas to produce more insulin. So, even if the insulin levels are elevated, the body’s cells are not able to use glucose. This unused glucose persists in the blood, rising its level further.
It’s a different scenario altogether if you suffer from type 1 diabetes. Due to unknown reasons, the body’s immune system initiates an attack against its own body cells. This process is called an autoimmune attack. In type 1 diabetes, the insulin-producing pancreatic cells get destroyed by autoimmune attack. As a result, the production of insulin by pancreas becomes negligible or stops completely. In the absence of insulin in the body, sugar in the bloodstream is not taken up by the body’s cells, thus increasing sugar levels. In such a case, insulin injections need to be taken for survival.
Genes: Contribution to Diabetes
Some of the risk factors for developing type 2 diabetes are obesity, poor diet, and sedentary lifestyle. This disease is more likely to occur if it runs in the family. You may inherit either type 1 or type 2 diabetes from your parents, which means that your genetic make-up makes you susceptible to the disease. In recent times, scientists have found some gene arrangements that may be the reason behind occurrence of insulin resistance and diabetes in an individual. According to research, having faulty genetic codes may increase the chances of developing diabetes.
A Ray of Hope
In addition to the above factors such as obesity, physical inactivity, and improper diet, genetic factors also play an important role in its development. Now that specific genetic codes responsible for diabetes have been discovered, very soon it will be possible to predict the risk of developing diabetes, and hence, its development will be predictable. With similar research under way, there is a hope that in the near future, both type 1 and 2 diabetes may be curable.
