Insulin Type 2 Diabetes: A Case Study

Insulin is a hormone produced and secreted by beta cells in the islets of the pancreas. Insulin is largely involved in metabolism by aiding cells through the body absorb glucose and consume it for energy (Stumvoll and Haeften, 2005). It acts as a “key” by opening up the cells and allowing glucose to be accessible. Generally, normoglycemia, the normal concentration of glucose in the blood, is maintained by the balanced interaction between insulin action and insulin secretion. Essentially, the normal pancreatic beta cell can adapt to fluctuations in insulin action—an incline in insulin action is complemented by a downregulation of insulin secretion and vice versa. Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disease described by hyperglycemia, a raised level of glucose in the blood, because of the body’s failure to produce enough or any insulin. Insulin resistance occurs in type 2 diabetes mellitus (Martin et al., 1992). In insulin resistance, fat, liver, and muscle cells respond incorrectly to insulin and consequently cannot …show more content…
Fatty acid starvation of islet tissue triggered deficiency of glucose-stimulated insulin secretion, a progression quickly reversible by addition of exogenous free fatty acids (Stein et al., 1996). In contrast, elevated free fatty acid supply increased glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (Roduit et al., 2004); although if constantly in excess, mainly in involvement with elevated glucose, saturated free fatty acids can lessen insulin synthesis and secretion and stimulate beta cell apoptosis (Lee, 1994). Chronic exposure to elevated free fatty acid and glucose levels can result in glucolipotoxicity with basal hypersecretion of insulin and inhibition of glucose-stimulated insulin secretion at higher concentrations of glucose (Erion et al.,