What is diabetes? Well, there are two kinds of diabetes: type 1 and type 2 diabetes mostly. And they’re interrelated but not similar, and well, that’s related to insulin.

Insulin is indeed a hormone that plays a crucial role in regulating blood sugar levels in the body. It is produced by the pancreas, specifically by specialized cells called beta cells located in the islets of Langerhans. Insulin acts as a messenger, delivering signals to various cells in the body to take up glucose from the bloodstream and utilize it for energy or storage.

When we consume food, especially carbohydrates, the digestive system breaks down the carbohydrates into glucose, which enters the bloodstream. As the blood sugar levels rise, the pancreas releases insulin to help regulate and control those levels. Insulin enables cells in the liver, muscles, and adipose tissue (fat cells) to absorb glucose from the blood.

Once inside the cells, glucose is either used immediately as an energy source or stored for later use. Insulin also helps promote the storage of excess glucose as glycogen in the liver and muscles. When blood sugar levels drop, such as during periods of fasting or between meals, the pancreas reduces insulin secretion, allowing stored glucose to be released into the bloodstream to maintain a stable blood sugar level.

Now, let's discuss the two main types of diabetes:

1. Type 1 Diabetes: This is an autoimmune condition in which the immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys the beta cells in the pancreas. As a result, the pancreas produces little to no insulin. Type 1 diabetes is typically diagnosed in children and young adults, and people with this condition require insulin therapy to survive. The exact cause of type 1 diabetes is unknown, but it is believed to involve genetic and environmental factors.

2. Type 2 Diabetes: This is the most common form of diabetes, accounting for the majority of cases. In type 2 diabetes, the body either becomes resistant to the effects of insulin or doesn't produce enough insulin to meet the body's needs. It is often associated with lifestyle factors such as obesity, physical inactivity, and poor diet. Type 2 diabetes can be managed through various methods, including lifestyle changes, oral medications, and in some cases, insulin or other injectable medications.

While both types of diabetes involve issues with insulin, the underlying causes and treatment approaches differ. It's important for individuals with diabetes to work with healthcare professionals to manage their condition effectively and maintain optimal blood sugar levels.

Insulin is secreted by the pancreas, which is big like my hand, it’s right in the back of the stomach, and when we eat, the food is absorbed, goes next to the pancreas who sees the food, and sends insulin with it in order to inform the whole body that the food is in the blood.  Often seeing a Endocrinologist or  local family physician  in conjunction with a registered dietitian and athletic therapist is a great option to take control of this condition. Smart Food Now and exercise is also optominal for overall health.resenter: Dr. Akshay Jain, Endocrinologist, Surrey, BC

So the role of insulin is a little bit like the helper that would go from the milkman’s truck, ring the doorbell of the house and say “You know what? There’s milk on the street ready to be stored in your refrigerator. Do you want some?” And you’ll say “I want two bags”, they’ll give you the two bags and then they go to the next house.

While insulin is involved in the regulation of blood sugar levels and the storage of nutrients, the way it functions is more complex than simply ringing a doorbell and asking cells if they want to store food.

Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas, and its primary role is to regulate glucose metabolism in the body. When we eat a meal, the carbohydrates we consume are broken down into glucose, which enters the bloodstream. This increase in blood glucose levels triggers the release of insulin.

Insulin acts as a signaling molecule that binds to specific receptors on the surface of target cells, such as fat cells, muscle cells, and liver cells. The binding of insulin to these receptors initiates a series of complex biochemical processes within the cells.

In fat cells, insulin promotes the uptake of glucose from the blood and facilitates the storage of excess glucose as triglycerides (a form of fat). In muscle cells, insulin stimulates the uptake of glucose and its conversion into glycogen, which is stored for later use as an energy source. In the liver, insulin suppresses the production of glucose and enhances glycogen synthesis.

Insulin also affects other metabolic processes beyond glucose metabolism, such as protein synthesis and lipid metabolism. It plays a crucial role in maintaining overall energy balance and nutrient storage in the body.

It's important to note that the storage of nutrients, including glucose, is a dynamic process that occurs continuously, not just within two hours after a meal. The body constantly adjusts its insulin production and response to maintain stable blood glucose levels and manage energy storage.

While your analogy simplifies the concept, it's essential to understand that the mechanisms behind insulin's action are more intricate and involve numerous biochemical processes within cells.

Now there are two diseases where this can go wrong, and the first one, type 1 diabetes, there’s no insulin being produced. So what happens is that the food is absorbed normally with the meal, goes in the blood, but the cells never see it. So they don’t try to store it, they don’t see it.

So the food just circulates, nobody takes it, it comes the next meal, you eat again, more food goes in the blood, and the next meal more food – so the food accumulates in the blood without ever going anywhere.

Up to the point where the kidney sees that and goes “Whoa, the sugar levels are really too high, it’s becoming maple syrup more than blood, it’s becoming difficult to pump, let’s get rid of sugar.”

So it takes the sugar and sends it into urine, in order to get rid of it. If we urinated little squares of sugar that would be painful. So the kidneys, when they expel the sugar, make sure they send a lot of water to dilute it.

That’s what causes the classical symptoms of urinating a lot, because all the water comes out with the sugar, losing water causes thirst so people drink a lot, and they urinate a lot. So that’s the classic symptoms of diabetes. At the same time people with type 1 diabetes are diagnosed, they lose a lot of weight, because all the food they eat ends up in urine, not in their cells.

So, these are the classical signs of diabetes at first, and the only treatment that we have is to give insulin, and try to coordinate it with the food to reproduce what’s normal. So people with type 1 diabetes need to take insulin many times a day in order to have the normal physiology restored.

Type 2 diabetes is totally different. In type 2 diabetes initially, the pancreas is okay, and it’s related to being obese. So what happens there? Food is absorbed, insulin goes with the food, rings the doorbell, “Do you want to store food?” But there, the cells say “No. I’m full.” The person is obese, all the stores of fat are full.

So the cell resists, the same way as if the milkman comes to your house and says “Do you want milk?” Your fridge is full of milk. You’ll say “No, no, no, no, no. I resist you, I don’t want to have any food, any milk, go and sell that to my neighbour.”

So the cells resist insulin. They say “No, no, no, no no, I don’t want any food, go and store it elsewhere.” Now if the body has difficulty finding a few cells to serve food, well of course the food stays in the blood for a longer period of time, because there’s no place to store it, the next meal arrives, and the next meal, and it starts accumulating and it does a little bit like it does in type 1 diabetes, that is the kidney sees that, sends the glucose into urine, sends water with it, causes thirst, so people pee a lot and drink a lot.

Except that here what’s different, is the fact that if we want to treat the best way, is to make the cells more able to respond to insulin, and that’s why making them leaner, so by losing weight, by lifestyle, whether it’s by doing exercise or by dieting, if you lose weight the cells are more empty, and they’ll say yes to more insulin and they’ll store the food, and that’s the way diabetes can disappear with lifestyle.

There are other ways, other medications that can be given that increase the action of insulin, but initially the importance of lifestyle comes from the basic causes of type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes Diabetes Now Patient Communication  Often seeing a  Chiropractors and athletic therapist is a great option to take control of this condition and to help with strength and mobility. Smart Food choices and information about  exercise are also optimal for overall health.