The Role of Glucose in Diabetes

The role of insulin | Hormone insulin | Body needs energy | The Role of Glucose in Diabetes

Diabetes mellitus is a disease that can be present for a long time without symptoms, and then turn into serious complications leading to disability and death. Diabetes mellitus occurs in 6% of the world’s population; more than 2 million people die from it annually. Moreover, in 90% of cases, patients that are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus, often suffer from obesity and lead a sedentary lifestyle.

At the same time, simple and truly effective methods of treating this disease do not exist today. The administration of insulin or the administration of sugar-lowering drugs prolongs a person’s life for a while, but they do not sufficiently prevent the development of dangerous complications. In diabetes mellitus, almost all organs and tissues are affected. However, the methods of classic medicine are mainly aimed at treating individual organs, while it is necessary to heal the whole organism: only some of the most modern treatment methods provide this approach. A truly effective treatment should have systemic effects: affect the nutrition of cells, improve the condition of blood vessels, nerves, establish metabolic processes, stimulate immunity. Only by mobilizing all the forces of the body can we achieve a serious improvement in the condition of a patient with diabetes mellitus and provide them with a high quality of life.

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Glucose metabolism and the role of insulin in human life

Glucose metabolism and the role of insulin in human life. Glucose is the most important source of energy for the body (blood glucose is denoted by the term glycemia). It is not the same as consuming fats: when they draw an analogy between metabolism and bonfire, then glucose is compared with brushwood, which quickly flares up and quickly burns out. While fats are coal, they are “included” in the oxidation (combustion) process for a long time, but they give heat for a long time. Glucose is valuable in that it can very quickly mobilize from the blood and the “pantries” of the body and almost instantly cover energy needs.

Glucose molecules “enter” into some cells without hindrance, for example, into the cells of the brain, which is the main consumer of carbohydrate energy, into the cells of the intestinal mucosa, red blood cells, lens cells of the eye, etc. These tissues cannot store glucose: here it instantly “burns out” immediately after receipt.

Receptors “recognize” insulin and “open” the cells for glucose. However, there are tissues and organs into the cells of which the free entrance for glucose is closed – these are muscles, liver and adipose tissue. To penetrate into them, the hormone insulin is required, therefore they are called insulin-dependent. Insulin is produced in the β-cells (beta cells) of the pancreas and is secreted in response to an increase in blood glucose. With blood flow, insulin is delivered to the cells of the liver, muscles and adipose tissue and attaches to receptors – proteins located on cell membranes. Receptors “recognize” insulin and “open” cells for glucose: here it is not only used as fuel, but also stored for the future in the form of glycogen molecules.

If the body needs energy, but there is no free carbohydrate fuel in the blood, glycogen is converted to glucose (at the signal of the hormone glucagon) – and it is used to fill the needs. Muscle and fat cells consume stored glucose only to satisfy their needs; liver cells share it with the whole body.