Have you ever heard of a perfect storm? It’s when several bad weather conditions crash together at the exact same time, creating a huge disaster. Doctors often use this idea to describe how Type 2 diabetes develops in the body.
Type 2 diabetes is a condition where your body has trouble controlling the amount of glucose (sugar) in your blood. It’s the most common form of diabetes, but it doesn’t happen suddenly. Instead, it’s a result of three different problems building up and colliding inside your body.
Here are the three forces that create the “perfect storm” of Type 2 diabetes:
1. Insulin Resistance: The Blocked Door
To understand this first storm, you need to know about insulin. Insulin is a hormone made by your pancreas that acts like a key. Its job is to unlock your body’s cells so that glucose (sugar from the food you eat) can move from your bloodstream into the cells to be used as energy.
In Type 2 diabetes, the cells become resistant to the insulin key. It’s like the lock is rusty, and the key doesn’t turn easily. Because the glucose can’t get into the cells, it builds up in your blood, making your blood sugar levels high.
2. Pancreas Fatigue: The Tired Factory
The pancreas is the factory that makes the insulin key. When your cells become resistant (Storm #1), your body tries to fix it by making more insulin. It works overtime to force those rusty locks open.
But after years of working too hard, the pancreas gets “tired” and can no longer produce enough insulin. It’s like the factory workers have gone on strike. This lack of insulin combined with the resistance makes the blood sugar problem much worse.
3. The Leaky Faucet: Extra Sugar Production
Your body has a built-in sugar storage unit: your liver. The liver holds onto extra glucose and releases it when you need energy, like when you’re sleeping or haven’t eaten in a while.
In the perfect storm of Type 2 diabetes, the liver acts like a leaky faucet. It releases too much stored glucose, even when there’s already plenty of sugar circulating in the blood. This constant extra drip of sugar adds to the high blood glucose levels caused by the other two problems.
What Fuels the Storm?
While genetics play a part, it is the interaction of genetics with the features of our Westernized society that creates this perfect storm. Two of the biggest elements are overweight or obesity, and a sedentary lifestyle. These can increase insulin resistance, forcing the pancreas to work harder.
Because the storm builds up slowly, people can have Type 2 diabetes for years without knowing it. However, changing diet and increasing activity can reduce the power of this perfect storm and the risk of getting type 2 diabetes.
About the author
Diana Sherifali
Diana is a nursing professor at McMaster University and has presented and led many educational, advocacy and research initiatives in Canada and globally. Her research focuses on the development and evaluation of self-management strategies to support people living with or impacted by diabetes.
