Re: Getting a transplant can cure diabetes?



Just wrote:

Chris Malcolm wrote:

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.


I didn't express myself clearly here. When I said
"lot less" - I was referring to their maximum capactiy
to produce insulin - which is less than a normal diabetic
because they have less Beta cells.
My bad.


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.


Yes, but difference between non-diabetic person with IR & a
diabetic is that a non-diabetic person with IR is able to produce
more insulin at meals & hence able to control the levels inspite
of the IR. So obviously having a better pancreas(i.e. more beta
cells) will help a T2 diabetic - ergo a transplant will benefit him.


Not really... because the higher and higer level of insulin needed will eventually overload the new pancreas.

And FWIW, a non-diabetic person with IR won't be non-diabetic forever.

Jennifer

.

Relevant Pages