S1E1 What is Diabetes Mellitus?
Ø According to Diabetes UK, Diabetes is a serious chronic condition where the blood glucose is too high, it can occur because of low or no insulin production or insulin resistance.
Ø There are two main types: Type 1 and Type 2 (most commonly discussed) but there are other types including: Gestational, Type 3c, cystic fibrosis-related diabetes.
Type 1 diabetes – causes and overview
This type is autoimmune or can be caused by factors such as sports injury or genetics. The body is unable to produce the islets of Langerhans (which holds the beta cells which secretes insulin) therefore, the body is unable to complete glucose homeostasis.
The second cause is through genetics; there is a mutation occurring in several genes – developing a complex trait which increases probability of type 1 which is able to pass through familial generations.
This is a huge oversimplification, however. There is no single gene, which if inherited from parents, is resultant in diabetes type 1. Hence, the more high-risk genes that you have inherited will decide the likeliness that you will get type 1 diabetes.
Viral infections have also been associated with the development of diabetes type 1. Human Enteroviruses (HEVs) have been found to have a link to the disease. These are viruses which enter the gut by poor hygiene and a study found that people recently diagnosed with T1 diabetes had traces of HEVs in their pancreases. Type 1 diabetes is much more common if a pregnant woman has picked up an HEV during pregnancy.
Type 2 diabetes – overview and causes
This form of the disease occurs in 90%of cases and is much more common in older people and is caused by the lack of the hormone insulin or occurs because the muscle cells are resistant to the hormone insulin. This means that the cells do not take in the sugar needed for respiration – hence fatigue as one of the symptoms
By having T2, glycoprotein receptors have lost their responsiveness to insulin. Poor diet and obesity increase factors of Type 2.
Causes include:
Ø Eating highly processed foods and saturated fats often
Ø Low or no insulin production or insulin resistance from cells
Ø Genetics
Ø Chronic stress and a lack of quality sleep
Ø Hormonal disorders like hypothyroidism and Cushing syndrome
Saturated fats:
· butter, ghee, suet, lard, coconut oil and palm oil.
· cakes
· biscuits
· fatty cuts of meat
· sausages.
· bacon.