Type 2 Diabetes: The Real Story As To How You Got It
Type 2 diabetes, known as a lifestyle illness, takes years to develop.
This is the real uncut story of how most people develop the disease.
Think back to the day you were diagnosed with diabetes.
For the purposes of explanation, let's say you were diagnosed June 1st 2006.
Now go back five years before that.
That puts us at June 1st 2001.
This is when it all started, where the story begins.
I think it was a Tuesday.
Let's say when you woke up that morning your blood sugar level was a healthy 75mg/dl.
, a completely normal reading.
Remember, Mg/dl represents milligrams per deciliter.
Now you eat your breakfast.
You had a bagel with cream cheese and a large glass of milk.
Bagels are virtually all carbohydrate, or sugar, all of which will enter your blood stream after digestion.
There is little to no sugar in the cream cheese; it is mostly fat with some protein.
The milk contains sugar, protein and fat, all of which will enter the bloodstream.
So far, so good, everything is normal.
As soon as the sugar from the meal starts getting into the bloodstream a message from the blood is sent to the beta cells in the pancreas telling them to get busy and start making insulin.
The beta cells respond and start making the necessary insulin.
The insulin is transported from the beta cells to a major blood vessel where the insulin enters the bloodstream.
Upon entry into the blood, the insulin molecules grab hold of some sugar.
Once the sugar is firmly in the insulin's grasp, the insulin molecule carries the sugar to a muscle, fat or liver cell.
Upon arrival at the cell, in this case a muscle cell in the right thigh, the insulin looks for a convenient door to open so it can escort the sugar inside.
After a suitable door is found the insulin knocks on the door and asks permission to bring the sugar inside.
"Yes, by all means, please, open the door and come in.
I have been expecting you," says the small voice coming from inside the cell.
The insulin reaches for the handle on the door and turns it, simultaneously pulling back on the handle.
This is when something very peculiar happens.
The door doesn't open! The insulin repositions its grip on the door handle and tries again.
Still nothing.
The door doesn't budge.
Understandably puzzled and frustrated, the insulin turns around and leans back against the cell door thinking of what to do next.
After all, nothing like this has ever happened before.
Up until now the doors have always been quite easy for the insulin to open.
Looking for some answers, or what to do now, the insulin pulls his cell phone out of its holster and calls the pancreas.
"Hello, this is the pancreas speaking, how may I direct your call?" "Can I speak to one of the beta cells?" asks the insulin.
"Just a minute and I will connect you," says the pancreas.
" There must have been a lot of calls coming in to the pancreas that day because the insulin had to wait several minutes to be connected.
During the wait time the insulin was informed the conversation might be taped to ensure customer satisfaction.
The insulin was okay with that.
"Hello, this is Bart, one of the beta cells, speaking, how can I help you?" "Bart, I am an insulin you guys made about a half hour ago and I got a problem.
" "How can I help you Bart?" "I'm over here in Betty's right thigh muscle, about two inches above the knee, and I can't get the door to the cell open.
" "Hmm, have you tried any of the other doors?" "Well, no Bart, if I had gotten in through another door, I wouldn't have needed to call you now would I?" "Okay, calm down, we'll get this worked out.
Go to another door and try to open it.
" "Okay, hold on, I got to set the phone down.
Listen, if we get disconnected it's because my battery is running low.
Okay, hold on, I'll go try another door.
Nope, no luck it doesn't want to open either.
" "Hmm.
" "Do you know what the problem is and can it be fixed? I gotta get this sugar into the cell.
" "I know.
I'm going to try to help you out.
First of all, I can tell you that you are not alone.
I have already received about a dozen calls this morning from other concerned insulin all over the body that can't get the doors to the cells open, some from as far away as the feet.
If you give me your exact location, we are in the process of making some additional insulin and we will send one your way and see if that helps get the door to that cell open.
Just hang in there, and we'll try to get that insulin over to you just as soon as we can.
We are getting word that many of the doors to many of the muscle, fat and liver cells are becoming resistant to opening.
Okay, I'm showing that another insulin is on its way to your location and should be there in two and a half minutes.
His name is Marvin.
When he gets there, explain to him that you need help getting the door open and he should be able to help you with that, okay? Can I do anything else for you today?" "No, I just needed help getting that door open.
" "Okay, well you have a nice day and thanks for calling Beta Central.
" As promised the beta cells make additional insulin, enough to send another insulin molecule to all of the cells where the doors have become difficult to open.
With the help of the additional insulin, the doors that were difficult to open can now be opened allowing the sugar to enter the cell.
As a result the extra sugar that entered the blood from the last meal can now be taken from the blood by the insulin and carried to muscle, fat and liver cells throughout the body, reducing the level of sugar in the blood to near pre-meal levels.
The blood sugar level never gets a chance to really rise too much above pre-meal levels because, shortly after the sugar starts to enter the blood from the meal, it is removed from the blood by the insulin and deposited in the muscle, fat and liver cells.
The difference between what is happening now and June 1st, 2001, the date I said was 5 years prior to the onset of diabetes, is that a majority of the body's muscle, fat and liver cells now require twice as much insulin to open the doors to the cells.
If, hypothetically, the beta cells work for an hour after each meal to make the necessary insulin, and three meals a day are eaten, then the beta cells would work for three hours a day.
In this case, however, if the beta cells have to produce twice as much insulin per meal, then the beta cells would be working for two hours after each meal or about six hours a day instead of the usual three! From this point forward the beta cells reprogram themselves to produce twice as much insulin as in the past every time they are stimulated to make insulin.
It has always been the policy of the beta cells to do whatever is necessary, within their means, to facilitate the entry of sugar from the bloodstream into the appropriate tissues of the body, even if it means making increased amounts of insulin.
This is the real uncut story of how most people develop the disease.
Think back to the day you were diagnosed with diabetes.
For the purposes of explanation, let's say you were diagnosed June 1st 2006.
Now go back five years before that.
That puts us at June 1st 2001.
This is when it all started, where the story begins.
I think it was a Tuesday.
Let's say when you woke up that morning your blood sugar level was a healthy 75mg/dl.
, a completely normal reading.
Remember, Mg/dl represents milligrams per deciliter.
Now you eat your breakfast.
You had a bagel with cream cheese and a large glass of milk.
Bagels are virtually all carbohydrate, or sugar, all of which will enter your blood stream after digestion.
There is little to no sugar in the cream cheese; it is mostly fat with some protein.
The milk contains sugar, protein and fat, all of which will enter the bloodstream.
So far, so good, everything is normal.
As soon as the sugar from the meal starts getting into the bloodstream a message from the blood is sent to the beta cells in the pancreas telling them to get busy and start making insulin.
The beta cells respond and start making the necessary insulin.
The insulin is transported from the beta cells to a major blood vessel where the insulin enters the bloodstream.
Upon entry into the blood, the insulin molecules grab hold of some sugar.
Once the sugar is firmly in the insulin's grasp, the insulin molecule carries the sugar to a muscle, fat or liver cell.
Upon arrival at the cell, in this case a muscle cell in the right thigh, the insulin looks for a convenient door to open so it can escort the sugar inside.
After a suitable door is found the insulin knocks on the door and asks permission to bring the sugar inside.
"Yes, by all means, please, open the door and come in.
I have been expecting you," says the small voice coming from inside the cell.
The insulin reaches for the handle on the door and turns it, simultaneously pulling back on the handle.
This is when something very peculiar happens.
The door doesn't open! The insulin repositions its grip on the door handle and tries again.
Still nothing.
The door doesn't budge.
Understandably puzzled and frustrated, the insulin turns around and leans back against the cell door thinking of what to do next.
After all, nothing like this has ever happened before.
Up until now the doors have always been quite easy for the insulin to open.
Looking for some answers, or what to do now, the insulin pulls his cell phone out of its holster and calls the pancreas.
"Hello, this is the pancreas speaking, how may I direct your call?" "Can I speak to one of the beta cells?" asks the insulin.
"Just a minute and I will connect you," says the pancreas.
" There must have been a lot of calls coming in to the pancreas that day because the insulin had to wait several minutes to be connected.
During the wait time the insulin was informed the conversation might be taped to ensure customer satisfaction.
The insulin was okay with that.
"Hello, this is Bart, one of the beta cells, speaking, how can I help you?" "Bart, I am an insulin you guys made about a half hour ago and I got a problem.
" "How can I help you Bart?" "I'm over here in Betty's right thigh muscle, about two inches above the knee, and I can't get the door to the cell open.
" "Hmm, have you tried any of the other doors?" "Well, no Bart, if I had gotten in through another door, I wouldn't have needed to call you now would I?" "Okay, calm down, we'll get this worked out.
Go to another door and try to open it.
" "Okay, hold on, I got to set the phone down.
Listen, if we get disconnected it's because my battery is running low.
Okay, hold on, I'll go try another door.
Nope, no luck it doesn't want to open either.
" "Hmm.
" "Do you know what the problem is and can it be fixed? I gotta get this sugar into the cell.
" "I know.
I'm going to try to help you out.
First of all, I can tell you that you are not alone.
I have already received about a dozen calls this morning from other concerned insulin all over the body that can't get the doors to the cells open, some from as far away as the feet.
If you give me your exact location, we are in the process of making some additional insulin and we will send one your way and see if that helps get the door to that cell open.
Just hang in there, and we'll try to get that insulin over to you just as soon as we can.
We are getting word that many of the doors to many of the muscle, fat and liver cells are becoming resistant to opening.
Okay, I'm showing that another insulin is on its way to your location and should be there in two and a half minutes.
His name is Marvin.
When he gets there, explain to him that you need help getting the door open and he should be able to help you with that, okay? Can I do anything else for you today?" "No, I just needed help getting that door open.
" "Okay, well you have a nice day and thanks for calling Beta Central.
" As promised the beta cells make additional insulin, enough to send another insulin molecule to all of the cells where the doors have become difficult to open.
With the help of the additional insulin, the doors that were difficult to open can now be opened allowing the sugar to enter the cell.
As a result the extra sugar that entered the blood from the last meal can now be taken from the blood by the insulin and carried to muscle, fat and liver cells throughout the body, reducing the level of sugar in the blood to near pre-meal levels.
The blood sugar level never gets a chance to really rise too much above pre-meal levels because, shortly after the sugar starts to enter the blood from the meal, it is removed from the blood by the insulin and deposited in the muscle, fat and liver cells.
The difference between what is happening now and June 1st, 2001, the date I said was 5 years prior to the onset of diabetes, is that a majority of the body's muscle, fat and liver cells now require twice as much insulin to open the doors to the cells.
If, hypothetically, the beta cells work for an hour after each meal to make the necessary insulin, and three meals a day are eaten, then the beta cells would work for three hours a day.
In this case, however, if the beta cells have to produce twice as much insulin per meal, then the beta cells would be working for two hours after each meal or about six hours a day instead of the usual three! From this point forward the beta cells reprogram themselves to produce twice as much insulin as in the past every time they are stimulated to make insulin.
It has always been the policy of the beta cells to do whatever is necessary, within their means, to facilitate the entry of sugar from the bloodstream into the appropriate tissues of the body, even if it means making increased amounts of insulin.
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