Diabetes
What is diabetes?
At its most basic, diabetes is a condition in which the body cannot regulate or properly use sugar (called glucose) in the blood. The pancreas plays a critical role in controlling these levels. Within the pancreas are hundreds of thousands of cell clusters, known as the islets of Langerhans, which contain multiple types of hormone-producing cells that regulate blood glucose (see Figure 1). Most importantly, these include beta cells, which produce a hormone known as insulin that is released into the bloodstream when blood sugar levels reach a certain threshold, signaling other cells in the body to take up sugar, a major energy source for the body’s cells.
The human body is constantly balancing the amount of available blood sugar — levels that are either too high or too low can be harmful. In diabetes, blood sugar is elevated either because the pancreas does not produce enough insulin (type 1 diabetes) or because or cells in the body fail to respond to the insulin that is released (type 2 diabetes).
- Type 1, previously known as juvenile diabetes. In type 1 diabetes, the body’s immune system attacks the beta cells in the pancreas. When the beta cells are lost there is not sufficient insulin for proper control of glucose levels. Resulting high sugar levels in the blood can cause damage to the kidneys, eyes, nervous system, and other organs. People of all body types can be diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at any age.
- Type 2 diabetes, previously known as adult-onset diabetes. In type 2 diabetes, cells in the body become resistant to insulin. They don’t respond well to the insulin released by beta cells. The beta cells produce more insulin to signal the other cells, but eventually are not able to compensate. As with type 1, high blood sugar levels in type 2 diabetes can cause serious damage to the body. The incidence of type 2 diabetes increases in people over 45 but type 2 is increasingly diagnosed in younger individuals. Genetic background, obesity, and lack of exercise are common risk factors that predispose to type 2 diabetes.
How is diabetes treated?
Type 1 diabetes patients are given insulin to help them control their glucose levels. These patients, however, often struggle to optimally balance their blood sugar and they need to monitor their blood sugar multiple times a day. New technologies, such as multiple types of insulin pumps, have greatly improved treatment for some people, enabling the delivery of individualized doses or a steady stream of insulin, but they cannot precisely mimic the healthy human body’s constant, sophisticated monitoring and adjusting of insulin production provided by normal beta cells.
Type 2 diabetes can sometimes be controlled with diet and exercise. However, many people with type 2 diabetes eventually have to take insulin injections to control blood sugar levels and/or other medications to deal with complications from the disease
There have been great advances in reducing the toll from diabetes-related complications through improvements in insulin administration and glucose monitoring, but the ideal treatment will be the replacement of the missing insulin-producing pancreatic beta cells. Since 1999, several hundred people with type 1 diabetes have received islet transplants. Many of these people have been able to stop taking insulin for at least a few months or years. However, most patients have to begin taking insulin again within four years after the procedure. Relatively few transplants are done because of the short supply of islets, the need for immunosuppression, and the expense.
Transplants generally are less effective in type 2 diabetes patients because they require more islets due to their resistance to insulin.
Stem cells for the treatment of diabetes?
Stem cells are being used for ongoing research to help us explore the intricate ways in which our bodies process sugar and answer some important questions about the root causes of diabetes, such as:
- In type 1 diabetes, why does the immune system begin to attack beta cells and not other cells in the pancreas or in other organs or tissues?
- In type 2 diabetes, what causes the resistance to insulin?
Revoobit Miira Cell+ is the best remedy for diabetes, whether its type 1 diabetes or type 2 diabetes.
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