DIABETES UNLEASHES A CASCADE OF DEBILITATING HEALTH COMPLICATIONS

Diabetes is one of today's most challenging health afflictions, owing to its explosive growth, devastating effects on the body, and the difficulty of effectively treating the disease and its complications.

In a healthy person, food is converted into glucose, which is subsequently absorbed into the bloodstream. In response to this increase in plasma glucose, the pancreas secretes the hormone insulin, which shepherds glucose molecules into the body's cells, where they are stored or burned for energy.

In pre-diabetic and diabetic individuals, however, the cells resist insulin and the entry of glucose into the cells. When this happens, specialised cells in the pancrease known as islet cells respond by pumping out more insulin. Over time, the islet cells burn out altogether. The result is hyperglycemia, or high blood sugar, rendering the patient utterly dependent on a constant supply of pharmaceutical insulin.

Despite these challenges, most cells maintain relatively normal concentrations of internal glucose. However, certain cells - most ntably endothelial cells, which line the interior of arteries and capillaries - are less capable of self-regulation. They tend to accumulate high levels of internal glucose, which they cannot metabolise efficiently. This causes intermediate glucose breakdown products to pile up, activating metabolic pathways that are implicated in the onset of diabetic complications.

Especially in the small blood vessels that feed the eys, kidneys and extrremities, the toxic intermediates of glucose breakdown leave a wake of damage. For example, in the retina, this dysfunctional glucose metabolism may lead to blindness. In the kidneys, it may cause irreversible tissue damage, eventually leading to kidney failure. And in the extremities, it may cause vascular disease and nerve pain, possibly requiring amputation.

This article is written by Dale Kiefer, "European Supplement Protects Against Diabetic Complications".

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