Why am I interested in talking about diabetes?
After consuming a meal, foods containing carbohydrates/carbs will break down into glucose thereby transported to other organs for energy. Insulin is the hormone produced by the beta cells in the pancreas and is responsible for glucose intake. In healthy individuals, the pancreas produces sufficient insulin that binds to the receptor on target cells. However, this is not the case for people with diabetes. Diabetes is a chronic medical condition that influences how the body converts foods into energy.
Did you know that the United States is the third country in the world with the highest number of adults with diabetes? Diabetes is a very common chronic disease in the United States, as it is affected by many different factors such as high obesity rate, poor dietary habits, low physical activity, and limited access to healthcare. According to the National Diabetes Statistics Report, 38.3 million people in the United States have diabetes. Importantly, the data indicated that people over the age of 65 have the highest percentage of diabetes followed by the 45-64 age group, and lastly the 18-44 age group.
Moreover, diabetes is categorized into two groups: Type I diabetes and Type II diabetes. Type I diabetes occurs when the beta cells in the pancreas are destroyed by the immune system that lead to a limited or no production of insulin. In this case, less insulin binds to the receptor on the target cells therefore dangerous to the body system when too much glucose stays in the bloodstream. Type I Diabetes usually begins in childhood or adolescence and requires lifelong insulin therapy.
Type II diabetes is also commonly known as insulin resistant where the pancreas is producing enough insulin; however, it does not bind to the receptor during the signaling process inside the target cells. Due to this reason, the cells cannot absorb or respond to insulin production. Type II diabetes is more common in patients over the age of 30 and factors such as obesity, active lifestyle, and unhealthy diet often increase with type II diabetes. Oral medication and lifestyle changes in diet, exercise are often recommended for patients with type II diabetes.
References
National Diabetes Statistics Report. (2024, May 15). https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/php/data-research/index.html
Osborn, C. (2025, July 15). What's the Difference Between Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes? https://www.healthline.com/health/difference-between-type-1-and-type-2-diabetes
I think you did a really good job explaining how insulin and glucose work before going into the different types of diabetes, it made it easy to follow. I also liked that you included statistics about how many people in the U.S. have diabetes and how it’s more common in certain age groups, that really helped show how big of an issue it is. Growing up I was surrounded by diabetes and family who either has it or who was on the verge of it so anything new I learn about it makes me happy.
ReplyDeleteWhat about diabetes interests you? Is it the statistics, the mechanisms? I am personally a diabetic and think you did a good job clarifying the difference between the two. I would love to hear more about how this interests you.
ReplyDeleteAlso another question, what happens when a type II diabetic becomes insulin dependent?
You did a really good job describing the process and significance of diabetes in our country today. One interesting point to look into is if there was a notable rise in diabetes post-covid. Two of my friends (and two dogs) were diagnosed with diabetes after covid. They were both very active and healthy with no precursors or concerns for diabetes in their future. It would be interesting to see if there was an increase in type II diabetes after covid, and if so, why specifically this occurred.
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