Diabetes 101: Insulin deficiency leads to high glucose levels in the blood

Insulin is a hormone that controls blood sugar by helping absorb it into cells

Blood sugar levels increase after a meal when the body starts turning food into usable fuel—sugars, proteins, and more—which are absorbed into the bloodstream through the intestines. Blood sugar levels rise, releasing insulin, and letting sugar in the blood be absorbed into hungry cells, thereby dropping blood sugar levels.

Type 1 diabetes is an inherent autoimmune disorder inhibiting insulin production

Diabetes causes the body to attack insulin-producing cells in the pancreas, causing a shortage or lack of insulin. This prevents the body from accessing and storing blood sugar—the brain and muscles' primary energy source. It's unclear what causes Type 1 diabetes, an incurable yet manageable chronic condition as of 2024.

Diabetes is a chronic disease linked to insulin production and high blood sugar

Diabetes is a chronic, progressive disease caused by a lack of, or problems processing, the hormone insulin, leading to persistently high blood sugar. Around 90 to 95% of cases are Type 2 (chronic and caused by factors like diet and environment). The remainder are Type 1 diabetes (an autoimmune disorder).

Diabetes has downstream effects on the heart, eyes, kidneys, and more

High blood sugar levels in untreated diabetes roughen artery walls, increasing plaque buildup, heart disease, and high blood pressure risk. High levels also cause acid to build up in the bloodstream, potentially making the brain swell, the lungs fill with fluid, and the heart to beat arrhythmically—all fatal complications.

Diabetes is a hormonal disorder

Hormones are naturally produced in the body in concert with cell receptors, influencing how cells behave, but diseases that affect hormonal production, including those produced by the pancreas or the thyroid, can upend those processes.

People with schizophrenia have triple the risk of developing diabetes

It remains contentious if something inherent about the disease or antipsychotics' side effects (weight gain) are mostly to blame. Some newly diagnosed schizophrenia patients already have insulin resistance, raising questions about if patients' brains are getting enough energy from glucose, and if dietary changes—like a high-fat, low-carbohydrate, moderate-protein diet—may help alleviate symptoms.

Overmedication has put type 2 diabetics at risk of low blood sugar

Type 2 diabetics in the US risk dying from low blood sugar, an epidemic traced to a decades-old, multi-million-dollar drug industry campaign encouraging an average blood sugar level below 7%. Contemporary research correlated such levels with reduced risk of eye, nerve, and kidney damage and increased hypoglycemia risk.

Gestational diabetes occurs when the body can't produce insulin during pregnancy

Globally, pregnant people are increasingly at risk to develop gestational diabetes due to rising maternal ages and obesity rates. The condition is associated with heavier fetal weight, congenital abnormalities, and perinatal mortality, which includes stillbirths and deaths of babies younger than 7 days old.

The myth of sugar rushes vs. the reality of sugar crashes

It's generally accepted that sugar rushes are a myth, and that hyperactivity is a more psychological experience. However, there is real science behind the rare sugar crash that primarily impacts those with diabetes. Read this article to understand how historical and cultural factors have shaped sugar perceptions, and how low blood sugar can trigger shakiness, fatigue, weakness, and more in diabetes patients.

An overview of 200 years of diabetes treatment

Diabetes treatment became truly effective after the advent of insulin injections in the early 1900s. Diabetes is becoming increasingly common. Current trends estimate one in three Americans will have diabetes by 2050. This overview explores two centuries of diabetes treatment—starting in 1812—and outline potential challenges to treatment and prevention.

The stages of fasting

What happens to the body when it goes without caloric intake? This article overviews the immediate physical effects of fasting. Within a day of going without food, the body will have used up its glucose stores and ordered the liver and muscles to convert their glycogen (glucose storage) into usable glucose. By the second day, glycogen stores will run out, forcing the body to use fat as energy. This process is known as ketosis.

How does your body turn food into energy?

Cells get energy via a process known as cellular respiration, which involves turning glucose into ATP or adenosine triphosphate. Breaking the phosphate bonds of ATP results in usable energy being released into cells, which can then use that energy to power biological processes. This 10-minute video explains how glucose turns into ATP, giving the body the energy it needs to survive.

The lack of guidance on getting off GLP-1s leaves patients at risk

Dr. David Kessler, former FDA Commissioner and public health leader, explores how these drugs override the brain’s reward-driven eating habits but have notable side effects. These include developing eating disorders, muscle loss, and intestinal obstruction.

Fiji's 'quiet' diabetes crisis

Across the Pacific archipelago of Fiji, diabetes often avoids diagnosis until amputation or death is imminent. Fiji's government has said nearly 30% of its population has diabetes, and, in 2019, related amputations accounted for 40% of the country's hospital operations. This "sugar disease" may have such a stronghold on the archipelago, which has a physically active culture that prizes locally sourced foods, due to cost, with processed foods being much cheaper than alternatives.

How meal timing factors into health outcomes

The world is trending toward weight gain, a development that comes with a corresponding rise in risk for health conditions, including diabetes and heart disease. This article explores how meal timing has become a factor in nutrition and weight maintenance.

The strange endurance of consuming blood for health

Blood's importance to humanity is best summarized this way: without it, we die. This importance naturally begets assumptions about its medicinal properties, many of which appear accessible through drinking or eating the fluid connective tissue. This article details the history of blood drinking, from ancient Roman gladiators to modern-day sanguinarians.

Telehealth demand for GLP-1s for weight loss is booming as consumers seek easier access.

Coffee is, indeed, addictive

Caffeine enters the brain through the bloodstream, where it blocks receptors that cause us to feel tired and enables stimulants like dopamine to increase alertness and focus. Over time, the brain begins to expect this level of stimulation, and caffeine addiction can develop. Caffeine withdrawal causes headaches, irritability, and fatigue.

Is metabolism related to weight loss?

Read this article to better understand metabolism and why doctors say it's only one piece in the puzzle to managing weight. Metabolism breaks down and converts what we consume into energy, which provides fuel for all of our body's functions—both...

Most of the world’s population has difficulty processing lactose—but that’s not an allergy

Lactose intolerance is a digestive condition that occurs when the small intestine has difficulty breaking down lactose, a sugar found in products like milk or cheese, leading to symptoms such as diarrhea or bloating. Almost 70% of the world’s population may have lactose processing issues, particularly in Asia and Africa. This is different from a condition called cow's milk protein allergy—an immune system disorder that can cause hives and anaphylaxis.

What exactly is dopamine?

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter—a chemical released by neurons that enables neural communication—that makes people want things with an "almost animalistic desire," compelling them to snack or check phone notifications. Often misrepresented as a "pleasure" chemical, dopamine is involved in motivation, learning, attention, habit formation, and more. Trends like dopamine fasting overinflate its role in mental health and often use it as part of "straw man" biohacking claims.

How heatstroke—from overexertion or extreme heat—affects the body

When core body temperature soars to 104 degrees Fahrenheit or higher and remains there for about 30 minutes, it sets off a cascade of problems in the body. Proteins and cell membranes can degrade and begin to leak, potentially leading to liver damage, blood clots, GI tract damage, and organ failure, among other issues.

What sleep loss does to the brain

Proteins in the brain perform various critical functions, such as helping neurotransmitters function or enabling electrical activity in the organ. These proteins must fold in specific ways to perform their duties, similar to paper airplanes. Sleep deprivation contributes to the gathering of misfolded proteins that aren't shaped correctly for their roles and so accumulate in undesired spaces, such as in the gaps between neurons.

What causes high cholesterol?

Cholesterol is a complex health issue, and for a long time, the American Health Association recommended Americans not eat more than three eggs a week to avoid it. But scientific advancements on the impact of different types of cholesterol revealed eggs aren't so bad. So what is it, and how does it effect us? Dive into the digestive tract here.

Inflammaging is chronic low-level inflammation as we age, and it may be a key disease driver

The term refers to the idea that largely invisible but consistent low-level inflammation as humans age fuels chronic diseases and cellular aging. Inflammaging, this article says, is due to lifestyle factors like poor sleep, low levels of activity, and poor diet, acting in concert to cause cellular damage and trigger inflammation.

Ebola infects and disables immune cells, triggering a cascade of events that leads to small blood clots throughout the body, weakening blood vessels and interrupting blood flow to key organs.

Tick bites can fuel an allergy to a sugar molecule in red meat

Alpha-gal syndrome is on the rise globally as ticks spread due to climate shifts. Bites from some ticks can trigger a sensitivity to a sugar molecule called alpha-gal found in mammal meat, which can lead to allergic responses to hamburgers and steak, among other products. Listen to an expert’s tips for avoiding this allergy, including quickly removing any ticks to limit exposure to their saliva or vomit.

Alzheimer's can lead to brain shrinkage, with an average of around 2% of volume reduction per year

Hookworm infection, though risky, may help fight certain autoimmune conditions by tamping down the immune system's inflammatory response.

The hormonal disorder PCOS was renamed PMOS in 2026, a move designed to improve care and research by shifting the focus to the hormonal causes of this condition that affects 1 in 8 women.

Studies suggest when you sleep is as important as how much you get, and syncing with your circadian rhythms may lead to less fatigue and improved long-term health outcomes

Discover the catastrophic consequences of a failure of the US electrical grid—something that is more likely than many Americans think.

Read a deep dive on the 'all-purpose healing' peptide BPC-157.

Tattoos remain visible on your skin thanks to immune cells called macrophages

Radioactive elements can introduce software errors because the ionizing radiation they produce can detach electrons from atoms, and computer code relies on the distribution of electrons.

At the beginning of the 20th century, a group of young men ate standard American food—replete with food additives like borax and formaldehyde—as part of government research to better understand food safety.

The first line of 'immortal' human cells, which can divide indefinitely and are used in scientific research, was nonconsensually taken from a Black woman.

The Dracula character, now seen as the vampire archetype, was inspired by a seafood-induced nightmare its creator experienced.

See images of medical cases of firework injuries shared on this 'Instagram for doctors.' (Warning: Graphic content)

Apeirophobia is an overwhelming fear of living forever, perhaps stemming from the brain's inability to conceptualize an infinite life.

How fusion—which releases energy when two lighter atoms combine to form a heavier atom—differs from fission

After 25 people used virtual reality headsets to practice flying with virtual wings—flapping their arms—their visual cortex responded to the wings almost as if they were real arms, treating them as body parts.

The first steps to rebuilding your credit score include getting to know exactly what's on your credit report and figuring out how far you are from the '700 club,' or 'good score' range.

Learn how to read a prospectus, the juicy document that any company must file with the SEC before going public.

Poison ivy's rash-causing compound is found in the plant's roots, stem, and leaves—so coming into contact with any part of the plant can lead to rashes for the 85% of people who are allergic to it.

The boiling temperature of water decreases with increasing elevation because the molecules need less energy to overcome the lower atmospheric pressure associated with thinner air.

In 1939, baseball star Lou Gehrig delivered his inspirational 'Luckiest Man' speech after retiring due to the health condition that now bears his name.

The price of gas is a composite made up of several different factors, with the federal gas tax making up less than 20% of what drivers pay at the pump.

Clever Hans was a 1900s horse that was believed to be able to solve math equations, tell time, and read and comprehend German, until a psychology student discovered how he got his answers.

'Saturday Night Fever,' the 1977 film that introduced disco to the mainstream, was based on a fabricated magazine story.