Insulin resistance may gradually become worse as time goes Essay Example

Insulin resistance may gradually become worse as time goes Essay Example Insulin resistance may gradually become worse as time goes Paper Insulin resistance may gradually become worse as time goes Paper To understand what is occurring in the cellular level in type 2 diabetes we must first understand how the pancreas, blood glucose and insulin are related to diabetes. The condition known as diabetes mellitus occurs when there is too much glucose in the blood and this is also reflected in the abnormal amount of sugar in the urine (Layman 275). Type 2 diabetes usually occurs later in life and is believed to be the result of insulin resistance, among others (Mathur, â€Å"Insulin Resistance,† par. 4). After eating a meal that is rich in sugar or carbohydrates, the glucose level in the blood goes up and this stimulates the beta cells in the pancreas (Layman 273). What is the result of this excitation of the beta cells? The answer is that they speed up the release of insulin into the blood and these act as messengers to the fat cells, liver cells, and   the skeletal muscle cells (Layman 274). There is a certain mechanism by which the insulin molecules are able to send their message to the cells regarding the increase in glucose in the blood. When the insulin molecules bind to the surface of the cell, they are able to activate an intracellular molecule that initiates changes in how the cell makes use of glucose (Layman 274). This intracellular molecule causes two essential adjustments to cell metabolism. It hastens up the activity of the glucose carrier proteins that play an important role in transferring the glucose from the blood to the target cells, and then it also sets off an enzyme that plays a key role in the conversion of glucose into energy (Layman 274). Thus, in the normal process, the extra glucose in the blood is used up by the target cells for the production of energy. However, in type 2 diabetes in which there is insulin resistance the cells fail to properly respond to the message from the insulin molecules, and because of this abnormal situation, more insulin is required to be able to cause the necessary effects ( Mathur, â€Å"Insulin Resistance,† par. 2). Insulin resistance may gradually become worse as time goes by until such time that the pancreas are no longer able to secrete the required amount of insulin to trigger the appropriate response in the cells ( Mathur, â€Å"Insulin Resistance,† par. 7). Because the amount of insulin is no longer able to sufficiently activate the use of the glucose in the blood for cell energy, glucose begins to accumulate in the blood and we now have type 2 diabetes (Mathur, â€Å"Insulin Resistance,† par. 7). Studies have revealed there is a relationship between insulin resistance and obesity, high blood pressure, arteriosclerosis, high blood cholesterol, and having family members who have type 2 diabetes, among others (Mathur, â€Å"Insulin Resistance,† par. 17). Therefore, studies have focused on these conditions to find a cure or to prevent type 2 diabetes. Some clinical trials have demonstrated the importance of strictly controlling the amount of blood sugar as a way to avoid or delay the onset of serious complications (â€Å"Type 2 Diabetes Fact Sheet† p. 2). Other studies have concentrated on the production of glucose monitors that continuously indicated sugar levels and still others have focused on oral drugs that target the abnormalities in how the cells use glucose (â€Å"Type 2 Diabetes Fact Sheet† p. 2). Some of these oral agents try to decrease the amount of insulin that is required while others attempt to regulate the amount of blood glucose. Future research are being prepared to determine those genes that make a person more susceptible to type 2 diabetes, the molecular mechanisms that cause obesity to be related to insulin resistance, and the preemption of diabetes as an effort to avoid complications that could result to death (â€Å"Type 2 Diabetes Fact Sheet† p. 2). Layman, Dale Pierre. Biology Demystified. New York: 2003. Mathur, Ruchi. â€Å"Insulin Resistance.† Eds. Jay W. Marks and William C. Shiel. MedicineNET. 27 Jun. 2009. medicinenet.com/insulin_resistance/article.htm Type 2 Diabetes Fact Sheet. National Institutes of Health. Bethesda, MD: 2008.