DIABETES

Diabetes

Diabetes

Diabetes is a circumstance in which a break down occurs in the metabolism of the food into power for the human body. It is a serious disorder that effects millions and millions of people each year. The chief feature of diabetes is the lack of insulin. Diabetes is one of the oldest diseases known to this date. Since the Ancient days, scientist have made many medical discovers that helps treat diabetes.(Dolger and Seeman 14).

There are two forms of diabetes, Type 1 and Type 2. A person with Type I diabetes depends on insulin, therefore, they must acquire shots of insulin every day from a syringe. This type of diabetes typically affects a person before they turn thirty. There pancreas does not produce the insulin that is required to turn sugar into energy. A person with Type II diabetes does not dependent on insulin shots. They can produce insulin, but not fast enough to maintain high intakes of foods with high sugar counts. The main treatments for this type of diabetes are a firmly restricted diet and exercise. This type of diabetes generally occurs in seriously overweight adults over the age of thirty.

There is not a cure for diabetes. Fortunately, several treatments for the disease have been discovered. The most significant development in treatment for diabetes was the discovery of insulin. “Insulin was discovered in 1921 by Sir Frederick Banting, Charles H. Best, and John James Rickard Macleod” (Encyclopedia Britannica). “Insulin is a hormone normally produced in the organ of the body called the pancreas” (Web MD). Inside of the pancreas are cells called the islets of Langerhans (Dolger and Seeman 16). Inside of the islets of Langerhans are specialized cells called beta cells. These cells produce the body's insulin. The function of insulin is necessary for the body to metabolize sugar (Aloia et al 16).

Glucose is the sugar that the body uses. There are many different types of sugars. For example, Sucrose is the sugar of which honey is made and Fructose is a sugar found in fruits. Our bodies make the glucose that we need for energy and metabolize into glucose the certain foods that we eat. Foods that are high in carbohydrates and starches are the primary sources for glucose. “Typical carbohydrates and starches are potatoes, breads, and pasta” (Aloia 16-17).

The energy used by each cell of our body comes from oxidizing, or burning, glucose. As the cells consume glucose, the blood sugar level drops. We eat food, carbohydrates and starches that are digested and metabolized into glucose and the glucose then enters the blood stream. The pancreas senses the increase of blood sugar and it starts producing insulin. Glucose enters the cell with the help of insulin. The function of insulin is to attach itself to a glucose molecule so that the glucose can fill the cell membrane.  

Another major advancement in the treatment of diabetes is the ability to manufacture insulin. All "artificial human" insulin is made from either beef or pork pancreas (Dolger and Seeman ...