Diabetes Prevention, control, and Cure

Diabetes Mellitus: An Overview Diabetes mellitus, or "diabetes" as it is commonly known, is a disorder of metabolismthe way our bodies use food to obtain energy. The most apparent disturbance in diabetes is with carbohydrate metabolism and is classically characterized by an elevated blood sugar and often the excretion of sugar in the urine. To understand diabetes, it is necessary to know how the body functions normally to convert food substances into energy. The human body may be thought of as a machine that requires "fuel" to function. As we walk down the street, hit a baseball, or just take a breath, we expend energy. The body's fuel is obtained from the food we eatcarbohydrates (sugars and starches), proteins, and fats. Food must be digestedbroken down in the gastrointestinal tractbefore it can be absorbed. Complex carbohydrates such as those in vegetables and whole grains are composed of long-chain molecules that are broken down by the digestive enzymes into their simple sugar components. All the simple sugars are eventually converted into glucose, the body's main fuel, which is the form of sugar required by the body's cells for energy. Proteins are broken down by the digestive enzymes into their constituent amino acids. Fats are digested to fatty acids. Your body is comprised of billions of cells, the smallest units of living matter. Each cell is surrounded by a cell membrane that protects the inside of the cell from its environment. For glucose to get into the cells, where it can be used, it must cross this protective barrier. The hormone insulin, manufactured by specialized cells in the pancreas,* called beta cells, is secreted directly into the bloodstream and transported throughout the body, where it plays a vital role in the conversion of glucose into usable energy by escorting it across cell membranes. It is the key that opens the cell door to allow glucose in. Once taken up by the tissues, glucose is either metabolized (burned) to supply the energy for all body functions or is stored away for future use to be drawn upon later when needed. The pancreas secretes a steady, constant basal amount of insulin. In a healthy person, rising blood sugar levels after eating serve as a signal for the pancreatic beta cells to secrete insulin. The beta cells act like a tiny thermostat, constantly measuring the blood sugar and releasing precisely the right amount of insulin to ensure the correct balance between the blood glucose level and the quantity of insulin needed to metabolize the glucose and keep the blood sugar within a fairly narrow range. When blood glucose levels are high, insulin helps muscle and liver cells respond to the body's need to lower the blood sugar by removing glucose molecules from the blood and stringing them together to form long, complex molecules, called glycogenan efficient form for glucose storage in the muscles and liver. Glucose that is not used by the body or exceeds its capacity for glycogen storage is converted into triglyceridesa storage form of fat. The liver may be thought of as a food processing center. Insulin enables the liver to not only convert glucose into glycogen, but also to synthesize, from amino acids, proteins that the body needs for cell growth and repair. Any surplus amino acids are converted by the liver into glucose or glyco- *The pancreas is a flat abdominal organ situated in the posterior abdomen below and behind the stomach. It functions as though it were two organs. As a digestive organ, it secretes enzymes into the intestinal tract that help to break down food into constituents that the body can use. As an endocrine organ, it secretes insulin and other hormones into the bloodstream that regulatAlterman, Seymour L. is the author of 'Diabetes Prevention, control, and Cure', published 2006 under ISBN 9780345485892 and ISBN 0345485890.