With diabetes, glucose metabolism doesn’t work the same as it does in the body of a non-diabetic. It’s important because glucose metabolism is the way your body turns the foods you eat into energy that your body needs. If you have diabetes, glucose metabolism is either stopped or slowed down severely because your body isn’t producing any (or enough) insulin. Insulin is a hormone that the body needs to turn your glucose (blood sugar) into fuel for your cells. Let’s take a look at the diabetes/glucose metabolism relationship.
Blood Sugar Metabolism
Every time you eat something, your digestive system uses enzymes to break the food down into proteins, carbohydrates, amino acids, fats, and sugars. These digestive system byproducts are then absorbed into the bloodstream to be used as energy by your body’s cells.
Of all the byproducts, the most important is glucose, or blood sugar. After eating, the sugar levels in the blood rise. This is OK for most people, because the rise in glucose signals the pancreas to release more insulin into your system. The insulin acts as a chemical key that unlocks the body’s cells and allows them to absorb the glucose and use it for energy. The more blood sugar present, the more insulin will be released by the pancreas. It’s a delicate balance. But this is the glucose metabolism process. But if you have diabetes, glucose metabolism doesn’t happen correctly because there is little or no insulin available to help the process of glucose metabolism. Diabetes affects the pancreas in a way that is not yet completely understood, but for whatever reason, insulin production stops or slows way down.
How Diabetes Affects the Metabolism of Sugar
Depending on the type of diabetes you have, your body has a problem with insulin production. Some diabetics produce insulin but their cells are resistant to it. But when insulin is not working like it’s supposed to because of diabetes, glucose metabolism can’t happen, so the sugar stays in the blood and gets to levels that are far too high. Eventually, it will come out in the urine. If left untreated, diabetes causes the blood sugar levels to get dangerously high, which can create many serious health problems, a diabetic coma, or even death.
If you have diabetes, it can be tested for in the urine. It is vital that you maintain your sugar levels at a healthy level to avoid organ damage, kidney failure, blindness, and a wide range of other complications that affect your quality of life and can shorten your lifespan. There are many ways to manage diabetes, from insulin to natural and alternative methods. You need to find something that works for you.
