Re: Getting a transplant can cure diabetes?

Just <just@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Jennifer wrote:
Perhaps... for T1s.

But T2's often make a lot of insulin,

I thought that T2s become T2s when they lose
50% of their cells - so they should be making
a lot less insulin than normal people.

No, because for most of the time the cells are just idling, and for
normal meals they don't get near full throttle operation. But T2s,
with reduced capacity, plus the extra demands of IR, run their
remaining cells at full throttle for a lot longer. Since they
eventually do get their BGs down, just taking a lot longer, and they
do it against IR, they quite possibly are producing a lot more insulin
in total over the whole day than a non-diabetic.

It's like the difference between a BMW saloon covering a flat 10 miles
and a wheezy old banger covering 10 uphill miles. They both do the
same mileage, but the BMW, despite it's more powerful engine, may do
so not only more quickly but using less gas.

i.e. normal people with IR don't show high sugars
because their pancreas makes enough insulin to
take care of it.

They both make enough insulin to take care of it, the T2 just takes a
lont longer to make enough to do the job.

Also if the quantity of insulin isn't an issue at all
for T2s, then why would sulfonylureas work?

Because you're confusing the effects of rate and volume.

--
Chris Malcolm cam@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx +44 (0)131 651 3445 DoD #205
IPAB, Informatics, JCMB, King's Buildings, Edinburgh, EH9 3JZ, UK
[http://www.dai.ed.ac.uk/homes/cam/]

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