Plaque: how it promotes diabetes

I have written before about plaque in your brain and its negative effect on brain function.

But did you know that plaque can affect your pancreas?

When it does, it slows down the production of insulin, accelerating Type 2 Diabetes. Allow me to explain how.

Inside your pancreas lie clusters of cells called the islets of Langerhans. It is here that your body produces insulin. Insulin, for those who may not be aware, is the hormone that helps your body process blood sugar.

Without it, blood sugar rises to dangerous levels, setting the stage for diabetes.

But the pancreas also makes another hormone called amylin.

The role of amylin is to promote feeling full so you eat less. Sometimes the production of amylin goes wrong.

It turns into a toxic threat.

Misfolded amylin molecules clump together creating dense deposits.

Think of them as junk clogging your machinery. Over time, the deposits damage the very cells that produced them.

So what is the outcome?

The transport system that would take the insulin and send it to the rest of your body is disrupted. It also damages the cells of your pancreas reducing their ability to function. As the damage spreads, the beta cells begin to die.

The consequence is a gradual decline in insulin production.

When you have early stage diabetes, also known as pre-diabetes, your pancreas works over time to produce insulin and amylin.

This accelerates the build up of plaque.

As the deposits grow, they create a vicious cycle. More damage that results in fewer health cells, slowing down the production of insulin.

Eventually, the pancreas can no longer keep up, and blood sugar rises uncontrollably.

The plaque formed from amylin is central to this process.

Tests have shown that over 90% of people with type 2 diabetes have plaque build up.

So what can you do?

Monitor your blood sugar. Dont ignore it just because you are not clinically diabetic. Excess sugar affects your body in more ways than we understand.

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