Diabetes Type 2 - Metabolism Effects, How the Situation Can Be Contained - Essay Example

Diabetes Type 2 Student’s Name Institution of Affiliation Date of submission Introduction Type 2 diabetes is a condition when the body raises its glucose levels higher than normal. It is the common type of diabetes that is being experienced by individuals in the world. Under this condition the body is not able to use insulin properly. The condition is referred as insulin resistance. The main causes of type 2 diabetes is the combination of genetic and environmental factors. There are a number of risk factors that are most likely to make people develop this disease. They are as follows; high blood pressure, obesity, physical inactivity and high cholesterol. Individuals who are pregnant are most likely to develop diabetes a condition referred to as gestational diabetes which can lead to development of type 2 diabetes later in their life. Individuals who are affected with metabolism syndrome or prediabetes diseases are also likely to develop type 2 diabetes as the two diseases are closely related to this condition. Individuals affected by this condition are required to always monitor the glucose level in the blood. They should ensure that they have kept the levels within the healthy range by combining both physical activities and diet. To achieve this their doctors may come up with a prescription that can lead to decrease in insulin resistance and the same time they may be given an extra dose of insulin (Roach, 2004). In this paper we are going to look into the effect of diabetes type 2 in relation to Macronutrient metabolic homeostasis. Metabolism effects of diabetes type 2 Insulin plays an important role when it comes to metabolism in the body. Since metabolism is the process of energy breakdown in the body, the concentration of glucose in the body will determine to what extent the rate of metabolism act will performing. When the body starts to abnormally secret hormones that is accompanied with an impaired insulin-induced suppression leads to stimulation of splanchnic glucose uptake and production. The condition will result into having a large amount of excess glucose amounts. When this continues beyond control, then the system circulation allowed for disposal by the peripheral tissues will result due to food ingestion. When the condition is compared to the normal and adequate basal insulin levels present in the system, you find out that there is neither stimulation of glucose production that is induced by glucagon nor will it be there suppression of glucose production that is glucose-induced which differs in nondiabetic subjects and diabetic when matched for age, degree of obesity and gender (Lim et al, 2011). Under the normal cycle of body metabolism the following process takes place; Consumption of food Breaking down of carbohydrates into glucose where the gut and saliva act as agents Entrance of glucose into the bloodstream The presence of food in the bloodstream makes the pancreases by releasing stored insulin. This is referred to as the first phase of insulin response. Glucose from the blood is allowed to get into the body cells through the regulation of insulin. In the body cells, the glucose is used for fuel. It’s after getting into the body cells that insulin allows glucose to be stored inform of glycogen in the liver and muscles. In case of future needs the glycogen stored in the body cells can be later be released back to the blood inform of glucose. In case there is excess glucose that remains in the blood after storage, the insulin converts the glucose into saturated body fat. In case there is the presence of proteins in the food taken, they will be broken down into glucose to some extent. However, the process that involves conversion of proteins to glucose is much slow and it comes later compared to proteins. When the body releases insulin in the first phase, there will be a second phase release. In the second phase the beta cells located in the pancreas will start to develop new insulin that will be released as well. The step is referred to as phase 2 insulin response. As indicated in the above process, at the point where glucose is taken from the bloodstream to the level where the blood sugar approaches lower levels, the body then will be induced to produce glucagon. Glucagon is used to convert the stores glycogen into the form of glucose which is then released into the blood for use (Yang, Jung & Song, 2007). In the case where a person is affected by diabetes type 2, it means that insulin resistance condition will be affecting him/her. The insulin resistance condition presence, will reduce the effectiveness of the actions of the insulin release at phase one in the non-diabetic conditions discussed above. Due to ineffectiveness, the pancreas will be forced to release all the insulin in it at that particular time, and there is a likelihood that it will not be enough to ensure that the blood glucose level returns to normal. To ensure that things are fine and cope with the condition, the body will have to wait for the insulin released at phase two to stabilize the condition (Walker & Donald, 2007). However, the release of insulin of phase two takes time and this means that the body will stay for some time without the presence of insulin in the blood stream. Therefore these will make individuals with type two diabetes or pre diabetic to have higher blood sugar levels than normal. Assuming that the next meal is somehow far, then the body will have some time that it will use to produce insulin from phase two. It the release of these insulin take place on time then the blood sugar levels will be stabilized and return back to normal. Though the blood sugar level shall have been stabilized, the beta cell shall have been strained which may fail with time. The failure of the beta cells will further constrain the insulin production and also slowing down the production capability of the amount of insulin required to ensure that the body is having the required level of sugar levels. This further complicates the problem which sometimes mays escalate the problem. If a person affected by diabetes type 2 further continues to consume carbohydrates, the problem will be elevated and be further exaggerated (Briscoe, 2006). High sugar levels in the body makes people to feel both hungrier and lethargic as the less insulin in the blood stream makes them to have less glucose getting into the cells that constantly require energy for the body to function. Therefore, if large amount of food is taken the excess calories in the blood stream will be converted into saturated body fats which further contributes to insulin resistance. How the situation can be contained Individuals affected by this condition are required to always monitor the glucose level in the blood. They should ensure that they have kept the levels within the healthy range by combining both physical activities and diet. To achieve this their doctors may come up with a prescription that can lead to decrease in insulin resistance and the same time they may be given an extra dose of insulin (Mealey & Brian, 2006). They should always take foods that take time to be digested in order to give the body humble time to control the blood levels before the next meal. Conclusion From the above discussion we can be able to see that diabetes type two has got a great impact on the normal body metabolism. The glucose required by the body cells cannot be able to get enough energy required to carry out their functions. References Briscoe, V. J. (2006). "Hypoglycemia in Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes: Physiology, Pathophysiology, and Management". Clinical Diabetes. E. L. Lim, K. G. Hollingsworth, B. S. Aribisala, M. J. Chen, J. C. Mathers & R. Taylor Diabetologia (2011) ."Reversal of type 2 diabetes: normalisation of beta cell function in association with decreased pancreas and liver triacylglycerol". Mealey, Brian L. (2006). "Diabetes Mellitus Management". Diabetes Mellitus and Oral Health. Armenian Medical Network. Roach, P (2004). "Better systems, not guidelines, for glucose monitoring". BMJ. Walker, Donald (2007). "Similarity Determination and Case Retrieval in an Intelligent Decision Support System for Diabetes Management" Yang, BK; Jung, YS; Song, CH (2007). "Hypoglycemic effects of Ganoderma applanatum and Collybia confluens exo-polymers in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats". 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