Background
There are two types of diabetes, diabetes type 1 and diabetes type 2. Both types of diabetes are chronic ailments that alter the manner in which human bodies regulate blood glucose. If not treated, both type 1 and 2 diabetes can lead to health complications, like kidney disease, cardiovascular disease, loss of vision, damage to blood vessels and neurological conditions1.
People suffering from diabetes type 1 do not produce insulin at all as the pancreatic beta cells are completely destroyed. In contrast, people with type 2 diabetes produce insulin but in inadequate amounts and their bodies cannot use it effectively to control blood glucose 2. Diabetes type 1 typically affects children and adolescents, but it can also occur among elderly people. On the other hand, type 2 diabetes usually appear as people age, although many young people have started developing the disease. While type 1 diabetes is often hereditary, type 2 diabetes is often caused by glucose overload and lifestyle factors such as poor diets, smoking and lack of physical exercise 2.
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Discussion
Glucose is the biochemical fuel that runs the body cells and the fatty acids are the secondary source for this fuel. The pancreas helps in controlling the blood glucose by producing regulatory hormones known as insulin and glucagon. Glucagon stimulates conversion of glycogen to glucose when the blood glucose levels are low while insulin helps in cellular uptake of glucose when the blood glucose is high 3. Diabetes type 2 causes insulin resistance where the hormone’s receptor sites are altered thus reducing the amount of glucose flowing into the cells. With insulin resistance, the body fats, liver, and muscle cells cannot respond appropriately to insulin 3. If not treated at this level, the disease advances to type 1 diabetes where insulin production is stalled.
Lack of insulin production results in hysterical rise in blood glucose. Glucose is essential for cellular respiration but with no insulin to stimulate its entry into the cells, the blood glucose continues to rise without being utilized for respiration. As a result, the body switches to fatty acids as the alternative source of energy for cellular respiration 4. Conversion of stored fatty acids to free fatty acids releases abundant ketones which are associated with diabetes is diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). DKA lowers the body’s pH and interferes with oxyhaemoglobin bonding which in turn inhibits oxygen release from the haemoglobin of the red blood cells for cellular respiration. Reduced oxygen availability causes impairment of cellular aerobic respiration biochemical pathways resulting in metabolic acidosis, tissue hypoxia, modification to anaerobic cellular respiration and the body’s pH continues to drop 3.
Although certain factors that cause diabetes type 2 such as age, genes and past behaviour cannot change, there certainly are various actions that one can take to minimize the risks of developing the disease. High intake of refined carbohydrates and sugar has been reported to increase blood glucose and insulin levels. Thus, reducing or complete avoidance of such foods significantly lowers the risk of type 2 diabetes. Regular exercise can also reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes as it increases body cells’ sensitivity to insulin as well as its production 4.
In addition, studies have revealed that drinking plenty of water leads to better insulin response and improves efficacy of blood glucose control. Moreover, quitting smoking, high intake of fibre, losing weight and reducing food portions have been shown to lower risk of diabetes type 2. The bottom line is that one has control over most of the factors that cause diabetes type 2 4. Therefore, individuals who are prediabetes should take it as a motivator to take up the changes that can assist them in reducing the risk of advancing to diabetes type 2.
References
Carey, I. M., Critchley, J. A., DeWilde, S., Harris, T., Hosking, F. J., & Cook, D. G. (2018). Risk of infection in type 1 and type 2 diabetes compared with the general population: a matched cohort study. Diabetes care, 41(3), 513-521.
Mayer-Davis, E. J., Lawrence, J. M., Dabelea, D., Divers, J., Isom, S., Dolan, L., ... & Wagenknecht, L. (2017). Incidence trends of type 1 and type 2 diabetes among youths, 2002–2012. N Engl J Med, 376, 1419-1429.
Han, W. H., Gotzmann, J., Kuny, S., Huang, H., Chan, C. B., Lemieux, H., & Sauve, Y. (2017). Modifications in retinal mitochondrial respiration precede type 2 diabetes and protracted microvascular retinopathy. Investigative ophthalmology & visual science, 58(10), 3826-3839.
Pape, J. A., Newey, C. R., Burrell, H. R., Workman, A., Perry, K., Bikman, B. T., ... & Grose, J. H. (2018). Per-Arnt-Sim Kinase (PASK) Deficiency Increases Cellular Respiration on a Standard Diet and Decreases Liver Triglyceride Accumulation on a Western High-Fat High-Sugar Diet. Nutrients, 10(12), 1990.
