• Question: Why do pancreases stop working? My diabetic friend would like to know this as she is puzzled by it?

    Asked by Bizarretweed to Samantha, Paul, Glafkos, Clare on 10 Mar 2015.
    • Photo: Paul Booker

      Paul Booker answered on 10 Mar 2015:

      I don’t think anybody knows! As with most diseases, there are probably a combination of genetic and environmental factors. This means nobody can say for certain the exact cause, but that some people are more likely to develop diabetes because of their DNA, but also (for example) if you eat too many fatty/sugary foods this may increase the risk. I checked and sometimes there are identical twins where one twin has diabetes and the other doesn’t, and since their genes are the same there must be other factors. There is a lot of research happening on this so it’s a really good question! There’s a bit about it on the diabetes UK website if you or your friend wants more information: http://www.diabetes.org.uk/Guide-to-diabetes/What-is-diabetes/Know-your-risk-of-Type-2-diabetes/Can-diabetes-be-prevented/

    • Photo: Clare Devery

      Clare Devery answered on 10 Mar 2015:

      The pancreas is a small organ that sits just behind the stomach. Its job is to produce insulin in just the right amount to keep the same sugar levels in the body all the time.
      After you eat, the body breaks down your food into smaller nutrients that can be absorbed by the blood stream. One of these nutrients is sugar. As the concentration of sugar in the bloodstream rises, the pancreas receives a signal to release insulin.
      Insulin attaches to a place on the cell the same way a key would fit into a lock. This opens the door for sugar to enter the cell. This is essentially the cells food/energy supply.
      In diabetics the cells stop responding to insulin (insulin resistance), meaning the door that allows sugar to enter will not open. This leaves a situation where the cells are not getting the sugar that they need and there is lots of extra sugar floating about the blood stream. But the pancreas doesn’t know that there is a problem – all he sees is that there is a lot of sugar in the blood and so he keeps receiving the signal to release insulin. The amount of blood sugar will never go down though (because the cells are insulin resistant!) so the pancreas just keeps on producing more and more insulin until it burns out essentially.

    • Photo: Samantha Terry

      Samantha Terry answered on 11 Mar 2015:

      the body functions based on many interactive systems and communications. if even one small part stops working for some reason, then all the rest fails too. if you think about it, it is amazing that the body doesn’t give up more often.

    • Photo: Glafkos Havariyoun

      Glafkos Havariyoun answered on 17 Mar 2015:

      I am afraid my biology knowledge is limited. Especially on pancreases. Really sorry. Hope everyone else’s answers helped out!

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