by Carl Marshall

Created on: December 28, 2010   Last Updated: February 11, 2011

Much research has been conducted in order to shape our understanding of type 2 diabetes and the reasons for its increasing incidence. The main problem is insulin resistance. For the body to function correctly, food must be converted into a sugar called glucose. The muscles need insulin to receive the glucose. When insulin is present, the muscles produce glucose transporters to carry the glucose into the muscle cells. It there is an inadequate supply of insulin, not enough transporters are produced and therefore not enough glucose gets into these cells.

Over time, the pancreas may actually stop producing insulin, requiring the use of insulin therapy. About half of type 2 diabetics go on insulin therapy eventually.

The role of genetics

Undoubtedly, there are those who can break every rule of healthy living and yet will never develop diabetes. A person must have the genes. However, genes often require triggers. To use an analogy, most people who get lung cancer are smokers, but not all smokers get this cancer. The smoking trigger is usually required. Research shows type 2 diabetes has numerous triggers.

Obesity and exercise

A study conducted, known as the Diabetes Prevention Program involved the recruitment of 3800 people who were overweight and had pre-diabetes. The participants were split into four groups. One group had intensive lifestyle adjustments without medication, there was a placebo group, a group taking metformin and a group taking troglitazone. In contrast to the lifestyle adjustment group, the other three groups had a standard lifestyle.

The troglitazone group was halted due to a fatality.

After 2.8 years, the study was finished early because there had been results of such statistical signifance. In comparison to the placebo group, it was found that the lifestyle adjustment group had a 58% reduction in diabetes risk. The metformin group had a 31% risk reduction. From this it was concluded that exercise and particularly weight loss are major factors in type 2 diabetes prevention.

Most of the participants remained for a 5.7 year follow up and the results from this showed that the cumulative incidence of diabetes remained lowest in the lifestyle intervention group.

Smoking

University of Lausanne, analysed the results of 25 studies and found that smokers have a 44% higher risk of type 2 diabetes compared to those who don't smoke. The studies also showed that the risk increased the more a person smoked. It was cautioned, however, that although there is

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