I've always been fascinated with metabolic diseases/syndromes like diabetes. It seems to be a symptom of the first world, i.e. affluenza, but there's this weird

I've always been fascinated with metabolic diseases/syndromes like diabetes. It seems to be a symptom of the first world, i.e. affluenza, but there's this weird sort of trade-off where it can manifest itself (type-2 specifically) and become aggressive at a moment's notice. Clearly there is a strong genetic component, but possibly a strong environmental component as well. I think the markers we have right now (A1C and blood glucose levels) are insufficient in understanding the underlying mechanism of action for the disease. What's even more interesting to me is the relationship between endogenous growth hormone and insulin receptors. The relationship between IGF-1 and insulin in particular is very interesting - IGF-1 binds to insulin receptors. I hope that as we continue to advance in cybernetics and genomics (artificial organs are the first step to machine/human hybrids), we will gain a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms of the common ailments in our society.