What is Diabetes?
Diabetes is a disease
that is the result of a
problem with the
production or processing
of the hormone Insulin.
Insulin controls the
amount of sugar that is
in the blood as well as
the rate that it is
absorbed into your
cells. The body's cells
use this sugar as energy
to function; In
diabetics the insulin
builds up instead of
entering the cells
causing the sugar to
build up into the
bloodstream. This high
level is known as
hyperglycemia and it is
dangerous to the body,
causing damage to organs
and blood vessels.
There are 2 types of
Diabetes: Type 1 or
Insulin dependent
diabetes and Type 2 or
non-Insulin dependent
diabetes. Type 1
diabetes is an
autoimmune disease in
which at a fairly early
age the body is unable
to produce Insulin
because the immune
system destroys the
Insulin producing cells
in the pancreas. This
type of Diabetes effects
about 10 % of the
population and can only
be managed through the
injection or inhalation
of insulin to reduce the
levels of sugar in the
blood.
Type 2 Diabetes is
much more common,
affecting about 90 % of
Diabetes sufferers. In
this type of Diabetes
the pancreas produce a
small amount of insulin,
but not enough of it to
fuel the body. This type
of diabetes usually has
an onset of later on in
life and usually the
person has secondary
issues such as being
overweight, being
Latino, African
American, and Native
Americans. Usually this
form is managed by oral
medications, weight loss
and dietary management,
along with exercise.
What is Insulin?
Insulin is the
internal secretion of
the pancreas formed by
groups of cells called
the islets of Langerhans.
It is the hormone needed
to enable glucose to
enter the cells and
provide energy. Insulin
is also important in
keeping blood glucose
levels within the
acceptable limits.
How is Human
Insulin Prepared?
According to the
International Diabetes
Foundation: "Since the
landmark discovery of
insulin by Frederick
Banting and Charles Best
in 1922, huge steps have
been made in research
and development
regarding its
preparation. Early
preparations of insulin
were purified quite
crudely from pancreas
tissue extracted from
animals - either pigs or
cattle. Today, insulin
is mostly made
biosynthetically by
recombinant DNA
technology or 'genetic
engineering. "
Animal insulin
"Until the 1980s, all
insulin was extracted
from the pancreases of
cattle and pigs. The
sequence of amino acids
(the building blocks
that make up the
protein) is slightly
different in insulin
from the different
species. Compared to
human insulin, porcine
(pork) insulin has one
different amino acid and
bovine (beef) insulin
three different amino
acids. These very slight
differences do not
affect the way in which
the insulin works inside
the human body. Pork
insulin is structurally
closer to human insulin
than is beef insulin.
These days, animal
insulin are made from
highly purified pancreas
extracts and are
marketed as 'natural'
insulin."
Human insulin
Human insulin is not
prepared from human
pancreas tissue. Rather
than being extracted
from human pancreases,
commercially available
human insulin is
manufactured through
recombinant DNA
technology, in which the
gene for making human
insulin is transferred
into simple cells such
as bacteria or baker’s
yeast. The insulin made
by those cells is
identical to insulin
made by the human
pancreas. Unlike animal
insulin, recombinant DNA
human insulin can be
made in unlimited
supply, since they do
not depend on the supply
of bovine and porcine
pancreases.
Analogue insulin
Analogues are altered
molecular versions of a
natural substance (in
this case insulin). They
have been used in many
therapies where hormone
treatment is needed. The
natural hormone is
changed slightly, by
rearranging the position
of amino acids within
the molecule (rather
like changing the
position of beads on a
necklace). The insulin
molecule is modified so
as to give it a more
desirable activity
profile, thereby making
it more convenient to
use. These molecularly
engineered hormones more
closely mimic normal
insulin secretion than
do traditional insulin.
Types of Insulin
Manufactured insulin
comes in several types
that differ in the way
in which they act inside
the body. Each type
differs in three ways:
- Onset: the length
of time after
injection that the
insulin begins to work
- Peak: the length
of time after
injection that the
insulin takes to reach
its maximum
effectiveness
- Duration: the
length of time that
the insulin remains
effective
The four basic
types of insulin and
their respective onset,
peak and duration are as
follows:
- Rapid-acting:
begins to work after
15 minutes, peaks in
30 to 90 minutes, and
has a duration of
three to four hours.
- Short-acting:
begins to work in 30
to 60 minutes, peaks
in two to three hours,
and has a duration of
three to six hours.
-
Intermediate-acting:
begins to work in 90
minutes to six hours,
peaks in four to 14
hours, and has a
duration of up to 24
hours.
- Long-acting:
begins to work in six
to 14 hours and
remains effective for
24 to 36 hours.
Many people with
diabetes use
combinations of theses
different types of
insulin to better
control and manage their
condition.
Is there a cure?
Sort of ; there have
been clinical trials
where researchers have
performed a procedure
called islet
transplantation. In
islet transplantation,
islets (Insulin
Producing cells) are
taken from the pancreas
of a deceased organ
donor. The islets are
purified, processed, and
transferred into another
person. Once implanted,
the beta cells in these
islets begin to make and
release insulin.
The hope is that this
procedure will become
perfected so as to avoid
any rejection by the
immune system and allow
the islet cells produce
Insulin and either
reduce or eliminate the
need for Insulin. This
procedure is still in
the clinical phases, but
there is a real
possibility that this,
or stem cells will
actually "cure" diabetes
one day.
Natural medicine:
There are many other
ways to help bring blood
sugar under control.
Some people with severe
Type-1 or Insulin
dependent diabetes may
gain better control over
their disease, but may
not be able to eliminate
Insulin totally. People
with Type 2 Diabetes can
get their weight under
control, eat foods that
are low on the glycemic
index and also try some
of these natural
remedies.
For Controlling
Blood sugar:
Exercise, Omega-3
fish oil, Vitamins B, C,
and E taken Daily.
Fenugreek which is high
in soluble fiber, and
has many active
compounds in it that
will help increase the
good cholesterol, which
is important because
Diabetics are
particularly susceptible
to heart disease. Any
food that is very high
in soluble fiber like
beans helps avoid the
spikes and dips
Diabetics experience
when the eat. Cinnamon
is another spice that
helps keep blood sugar
levels more stable, just
1/4 of a teaspoon
sprinkled in your food
is all you need every
day.
Several Indian spices
have also shown promise
in lowering blood sugar
or keeping blood sugar
stable. Bitter Gourd has
shown shown the amazing
ability to lower blood
sugar by half by eating
just 2 teaspoons. Black
tea is another export
from India that has
shown significant
anti-diabetic activity,
and you can add the
bitter gourd powder or
the cinnamon to it. If
you are concerned about
the caffeine, you can
get the decaffeinated
type without ruining the
blood sugar controlling
properties.
Also, be sure to
check out:
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