3 ms·
Uh, not a great article. > Those with type 2 diabetes are not producing enough insulin. No, that's type 1. Type 2 is characterized by the body's resistance to
by tomca32 8y ago
Uh, not a great article.
> Those with type 2 diabetes are not producing enough insulin.
No, that's type 1. Type 2 is characterized by the body's resistance to insulin. So the pancreas produces enough insulin, but the body can't use it. It's true that this can lead to pancreatic damage because of overwork and shift closer to type 1, where not enough insulin is produced, but that's not the main cause of the illness.
This treatment is only for Type 2, of which only a minority needs insulin injections. Most type 2 is treated by a healthier diet and pills.
Type 1, on the other hand, is the one that absolutely requires insulin injections, and there is no cure in sight for that.
- pohl 8y agoFWIW, if you chase this reporting upstream, the source article also mentions type 2: https://www.ad.nl/binnenland/nieuwe-behandeling-biedt-hoop-aan-diabetespatienten~a6262dbf/ https://www.ad.nl/binnenland/nieuwe-behandeling-biedt-hoop-a...
- mikaelj 8y agoLet your type 2 go untreated and continue living your crappy life, and you'll develop type 1 as well. By exhausting your pancreas. But yeah. Crappy article title.
- gorb314 8y agoCorrect me if I am wrong, but I believe one develops Type 1 in this case from general organ failure, not simply because the pancreas itself is being exhausted.
- gukov 8y agoClose. The autoimmune system attacks and kills the insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas.
- gorb314 8y agoInteresting: are you saying that people with Type 2 that progressively get "worse", will eventually become Type 1 diabetics for the exact same reason? Forgive my asking again. I am a Type 1 diabetic, since age 7. I know that it is an autoimmune disorder. I find that (as seems to be the case with the original article), people tend to blur T1 and T2, and the causes/effects/treatments for each, and it can be mildly infuriating...
- gukov 8y agoAlso T1. To greatly simplify, T2 is a matter of insulin resistance. The pancreas continues to produce insulin, it's just that the insulin produced becomes inefficient and an outside intervention such as medicine or exogenous insulin is needed. In terms of medicine, Metformin is one that's commonly prescribed. Again, to simplify, it basically makes the liver pump out less glucose into the bloodstream. It's actually considered a wonder drug (look up Metformin and longevity, makes you think...). Generally, after a certain period, if done right, the T2 person will no longer require the meds and can be considered cured. I'm not sure if pancreas can overwork itself to death by producing too much insulin. If it's not damaged by the autoimmune system it should be able to recover.