Emma-Diabetes+Article

What are the key players in Diabetes? Why? The key players is diabetes are the pancreas, the liver, muscle and fat. These are the key players because they all aid in the regulation of glucose. Whether it be the amount of sugar in someone's blood, the amount that cells absorb or how much is released glucose from energy storage. What are the unexpected key players in Diabetes? Why? The unexpected key players include a hormone in the skeleton, signals from the brain, gut and immune system. This is because researches have just discovered that the skeleton is an endocrine organ. Researchers also discovered, in a mice study, that the fat tissue in obese mice contained a large number of inflamed immune cells or macrophages. Food comes in through the gut so it makes perfect sense that there would be sugar regulation there. Explain the connection between bones and fat? Since fat regulates bone than bone must regulate fat. For example a substance called osteocalcin, that is produced by bone, signals both fat cells and the pancreas. Explain the connection between bones and the pancreas? Osteocalcin, produced by bone, signals the pancreas to activate. Osteocalcin controlled both insulin resistance and low insulin production. Explain the connection between the brain and diabetes. Without insulin receptors in the brain the body can not regulate glucose properly which results in diabetes. Also scientists have discovered that free fatty acids, and the hormone leptin, produced by fatty tissue signal the appetite controlling part of the brain directly. This part of the brain is called the hypothalamus. Brain also oragnizes numerous signals from insulin, leptin, free fatty acids and glucose itself. Sending them by way of several nerves to muscle and liver cells. Explain the connection between the immune system and diabetes? When some macrophages or inflamed immune cells are activated insulin resistance is a possible result.
 * hormones called incretins from the small intestine signal the pancreas and brain to help the body lower blood sugar and control appetite.

Now summarize the article in a paragraph The more and more researchers are finding out about diabetes the more complicated it is becoming. Diabetes is different in every person and the reason for abnormal sugar amounts is not uniform throughout the disease. Researchers are also now learning that the pancreas, liver, muscle and fat are not the only components of diabetes. Instead diabetes also involves the skeleton, signals from the brain, gut and immune system. One major breakthrough occurred when scientists realized that the skeleton is actually an endocrine organ that releases hormones that have effects other than those just relating to bone. This led scientists to realize that leptin, a hormone produced by fat, that is an important regulator of bone metabolism could also work in proving that since fat regulates bone, bone must regulate fat. Ultimately the discovery was made that osteocalcin, which is produced by bone, signals the fat cells and the pancreas.Which means it regulates both insulin resistance and low insulin production. Another breakthrough came when scientists realized that an increase of macrophages(immune cells that contribute to inflammation) had a direct link to diabetes and insulin resistance. Yet, scientists also realize that there are good and bad macrophages, but the bad macrophages lead to severe consequences such as diabetes and inflammation. This discovery is hope that scientists will be able to create a drug that ends specifically macrophage inflammation. Scientists have also just recently noticed the role of the brain in glucose regulation. They first discovered that without insulin receptors in the brain, diabetes resulted. Leading to the discovery that free fatty acids,a hormone called leptin, which is produced by fat tissue, signal directly to a part of the brain called the hypothalamus which regulates appetite.Hormones from the small intestine also signal directly to the brain and pancreas to regulate glucose and decrease appetite.