The Unstated Effects That Type 2 Diabetes Can Exert On The Immune System.
Is it really just extra sugar in the blood…?
We tend to think of Type 2 diabetes as a lifestyle problem, and there are recommendations in place to consume less carbohydrates, exercise more, sleep better, and manage one’s stress better — all of which are contributors to a healthy immune system, too.
But let’s go into the science behind how Type 2 diabetes develops, and how it affects immune system responses. A deconstruction of this complicated process is necessary to understand how it works, and what one ought to be looking out for.
In a healthy human body, insulin is a biochemical that is produced from pancreatic beta cells and signals our cells to take in glucose from the blood at appropriate times. For the most part, each cell is obedient to the signal. Things work smoothly and are humming along. Blood glucose levels are well maintained at healthy levels — a more technical description of the entire process is found in this journal article here.
