Diabetes, what are they and how do they work?
- innovatewithstem12
- Apr 14
- 5 min read
by Emmy huaman
Published 14th of April
About one in eight people have a variation of diabetes, resulting in 540 million adults in the world. Every person, all of them, needs insulin to continue living a comfortable life. But what is insulin exactly, and why do they need it? Diabetes is one of the major health issues that has unfortunately been on the rise; by 2030, 643 million adults are predicted to have diabetes. With the rapid increase of diabetes, not many are educated on what diabetes is, even if it is such a common illness. The many types and symptoms can be confusing, so this article breaks down what happens in a diabetic’s body, what insulin is, and why there is an absence of a permanent cure yet.
To start, you do not get diabetes from eating too much sugar; you can get diabetes in many different ways, but what is diabetes? Diabetes is a disease that affects your blood sugar when the immune system attacks the insulin-producing cells. Insulin is a hormone from the pancreas that helps turn glucose into energy for the body. When the insulin turns the sugar into energy, it lowers the blood sugar. Without enough insulin, the glucose will stay in the blood, resulting in a high glucose level and a diagnosis of diabetes. There are three most common types of diabetes: diabetes type 1, diabetes type 2, and gestational diabetes.
Type 1 diabetes is when your immune system destroys the cells in the pancreas that make insulin; therefore, people with type one diabetes need to take insulin every day to continue to live. It is mainly caused by a genetic defect, an autoimmune reaction where the body attacks itself by accident, or a trigger in the environment from a previous sickness. Even with the many reasons why it can occur, there is no exact cause. It is an autoimmune disease, mainly diagnosed in children and young adults. Known risk factors are having a family member who also has diabetes or the race you are born with. Indigenous people are most at risk of type 2 diabetes, along with Latinos, African Americans, and Asians, however, anyone can get diabetes type 1 diabetes. Kidney failure, lower-limb amputations, and adult blindness can all be caused by diabetes if not treated properly, both type one and type two.
Type 2 diabetes is the most common type of diabetes; unlike type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes occurs when your blood sugar is too high for your body to absorb. The body will not be able to use the insulin well enough or produce enough insulin, defined as insulin resistance. During this period, the amount of insulin will decrease and will not catch up to the amount of glucose in the blood. The results indicate a high blood sugar level, but they are not at a concerning level that would require daily insulin. Insulin is only necessary when blood sugar levels are too high for the body to manage. The primary cause can be traced back to lifestyle and environment. It can be caused by an unhealthy lifestyle, minimal physical activity, or health problems that can be linked to diabetes. Type two diabetes occurs mainly in adults older than 45 years, but a spike has occurred in children and young adults due to an unhealthy diet and minimal physical activity. Type 2 diabetes can be easily fixed if it is found in the early stages of development.
Gestational diabetes occurs during pregnancy, usually when it's the mother’s first time giving birth, during the second and third trimesters. It has the same symptoms as diabetes but will recover over time unless not appropriately treated, increasing the risk of type 2 diabetes in the future. High blood sugar can affect the baby, such as an increase in weight or size, as it directly affects the time for delivery, but it will go away shortly after delivery.
Prediabetes is when the blood sugar is higher than average but not high enough to be considered type 2 diabetes. The disease can be linked to an unhealthy lifestyle but can occur in anyone with a high glucose level. About 98 million American adults are estimated to have prediabetes in 2021, over 1 in 3 adults. This epidemic can be easily treated with a healthier lifestyle or a treatment plan. Though they are at risk of diabetes, they do not need insulin to live a comfortable life.
When enough hormonal insulin cannot be produced to maintain the blood glucose level, doctors will suggest an alternative, an insulin shot taken when blood sugar is too high. Many have been grateful for this invention that has saved millions, but how was it discovered? Insulin medication was found in 1921 from pancreatic extracts from dogs by Nicolas C. Paulescu. He uncovered that the extraction of the pancreas in dogs would produce diabetes; therefore, adding more of the pancreatic cells would lower the glucose level. It was needed to remove pancreatic debris to eliminate diseases affecting insulin while preserving necessary materials. The developing medicine was tested on dogs because it was derived from a dog's pancreas, making it more effective for dogs who cannot produce sufficient insulin. Years later, James Collip began working on purifying insulin for human use. A shot of unpurified pancreas cells lowers glucose levels temporarily but is not 100% safe to use. The following year, a 14-year-old patient with diabetes had a shot of insulin and went from his deathbed to a healthy and long life. Thanks to many scientists, insulin was successfully commercially produced internationally, saving millions of lives.
Unfortunately, there is no permanent cure for diabetes due to the sheer fact that you are not able to reverse the cells that produce insulin without disrupting the immune system, which may be causing more serious harm. Primarily, type 1 diabetes cannot be cured since the cells are either destroyed or seriously harmed to the point where it's almost impossible to reverse. The cost and time to heal those cells again would be expensive versus if the patient took a shot of insulin when needed. Diabetes type 2, gestational diabetes, and prediabetes have a higher chance of reversing the effects. With a healthy lifestyle and an increase in movement, pre-diabetes and gestational diabetes can both be reversed. Type 2 diabetes can also be reversed, but will have a slimmer chance due to being too late in the stage to be able to reverse the effect, with the help of a physician, there can be hope.
Diabetes is not a disease to be afraid of; millions in the world can live a happy life with all kinds of diabetes. Both type one and two can safely live thanks to insulin. Gestational diabetes can be managed with a physician's guidance and a healthy diet. Prediabetes can become a warning to change the current lifestyle to a better one to lessen the risk. Although there is no current permanent cure for diabetes, the medical field is growing exponentially, and a cure for diabetes could exist in the future with newer technology. When someone says that you can get diabetes from eating too much sugar, just know that there are more reasons than a piece of candy.
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