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Asked by fate442nag on 7 Dec 2021.
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Magdalena Sutcliffe answered on 10 Nov 2021:
Diabetes happens when the body can’t absorb glucose (sugar) from the blood into the cells to be used for energy. This can happen either because the pancreas is not producing enough insulin (which is needed for glucose to enter cells), or the cells of the body not responding properly to insulin.
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Becky Cohen answered on 10 Nov 2021:
Diabetes is a really interesting example as it happens due to a mix of genetic and environmental reasons. We know that if someone has family members with diabetes (especially with Type 2 diabetes) then they’re more likely to get diabetes as well – but it’s not definite and very difficult to predict due to influences from their environment (diet, smoking etc). Very few ‘multifactorial’ diseases like this are tested for clinically, although with more research this may change in the future. Especially with the development of ‘Polygenic Risk Scores’, which can be used to predict the risk of common diseases (such as diabetes and heart disease) from genetic data.
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Yannick Comoglio answered on 10 Nov 2021:
Hi fate442nag,
There are two kinds of diabetes.
The type I, is a genetic disease. The people with this disease are not able to produce the insulin, a hormone that regulates the glucose (sugar) in the body. The main treatment is to inject insulin.
The type II, is a disease that everyone can have. It happens to overweight or obese people. These people can produce the insulin, but the hormone has no more effect on the body. The main treatment is to lose weight. -
Yasmin Dickinson answered on 10 Nov 2021:
Hello Fate442nag! 🙂
In general, diabetes can occur in the body when the Pancreas (an organ behind the stomach) cannot produce enough of the hormone ‘insulin’. Insulin is needed to control the sugar (glucose) levels in your blood. So after you eat, the carbohydrates in your food break down into glucose (glucose is a sugar and is the body’s main source of energy). Glucose then enters the bloodstream and needs to be transported into your cells to provide energy. The pancreas responds to this stimuli of high glucose in the blood and reacts by producing and releasing insulin into the bloodstream – it’s insulins job to make sure the glucose in the blood is transported to the cells. HOWEVER…in diabetes, there’s not enough insulin to move the glucose into your body’s cells – meaning its stays circulating in the blood. If left untreated this can have bad effects in the body including:
– tiredness.
– blurred vision.
– unintentional weight loss.
– recurrent infections.
– tummy pain.
– feeling or being sick.
– kidney damage.There are two types of diabetes: Type 1 (insulin-dependent) and Type 2 (non-insulin dependent).
Type 1 diabetes: In type 1 diabetes, the body’s immune system destroys the cells that release insulin, which halts insulin production in the body. Without insulin, cells cannot absorb glucose.
Type 2 diabetes: Although this type of diabetes can develop at any age, it is more common during adulthood. In type 2 diabetes, the body is not able to use insulin effectively or in the right way – this is called insulin resistance. As type 2 diabetes gets worse, the pancreas starts to make less and less insulin – this is called insulin deficiency.
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Nithya Nair answered on 12 Nov 2021:
Diabetes is basically the situation when your body has really high sugar (glucose) levels in your body. This can be caused by a combination of both genetic or environmental factors. This means there are certain genes which can increase your risk of having diabetes, but at the same time factors like smoking, diet, exercise, etc also play a major role. However this does not mean you will have it, and can be managed to a certain extent by following a healthy lifestyle.
Glucose is normally produced in a human body whenever we eat our food. Glucose cannot enter the body cells on its own. A hormone named insulin (produced by the pancreas) is required to help the glucose to enter the cells from the blood.
Sometimes, the pancreas does not produce enough insulin. Thus there is a lot of glucose remaining in your blood which cannot enter the cells. This results in high blood glucose levels and is called Type I Diabetes. In such cases, patients are given injections of insulin which will help the glucose to enter the cells and this will reduce the blood glucose levels.
Also sometimes, the pancreas produces enough insulin. But in some older people, the body cells are so used to seeing insulin that they do not recognise the insulin anymore. This results in a high blood glucose level, also known as Type 2 Diabetes. The only solution to this for now is to maintain a healthy diet and to lose weight.
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