Starch Existence

Glucagon opposes the effects of insulin by stimulating hepatic glucose production to sustain plasma glucose levels during fasting conditions. In the diabetic state, there is inadequate suppression of postprandial glucagon secretion (hyperglucagonemia) resulting in elevated hepatic glucose production. This results in an abnormally high glucagon-to-insulin ratio that favors the release of hepatic glucose. These limits of exogenously administered insulin therapy are well documented in individuals with type 1 or type 2diabetes and are considered to be important contributors to the postprandial hyperglycemic state characteristic of diabetes.

Resistin is an adipose tissue-specific factor which is reported to induce insulin resistance, linking diabetes to obesity. Resistin is a member of a class of cysteine-rich proteins collectively termed resistin-like molecules. It has been implicated in the pathogenesis of obesity-mediated insulin resistance and Type II diabetes, at least in rodent models. However there has been considerable controversy surrounding its physiological relevance that has led some to question whether resistin represents an important pathogenic factor in the aetiology of Type II diabetes and cardiovascular disease

Glycolysis occurs in the cytoplasm of the cell and does not require the presence of oxygen. The pathway is found (with variations in the terminal steps), in nearly all organisms indicating that it is one of the most ancient known metabolic pathways. In aerobic organisms the pyruvate can be either further metabolized to generate more ATP via the citric acid cycle/cytochrome system, or converted into fatty acids and stored as triglycerides.

There are three groups of molecules that form the core building blocks and fuel substrates in the body: carbohydrates (glucose and other sugars); proteins and their constituent amino acids; and lipids and their constituent fatty acids. The biochemical processes that allow these molecules to be synthesized and stored (anabolism) or broken down to generate energy (catabolism) are referred to as metabolic pathways. Lipid metabolism involves the anabolic pathways of fatty acid synthesis and lipogenesis and the catabolic pathways of lipolysis and fatty acid oxidation. Protein metabolism involves the anabolic pathways of amino acid synthesis and protein synthesis and the catabolic pathways of proteolysis and amino acid oxidation. Under conditions when glucose levels inside the cell are low (such as fasting, sustained exercise, starvation or diabetes), lipid and protein catabolism includes the synthesis (ketogenesis) and utilization (ketolysis) of ketone bodies.

URL: http://scifed.com/scifed-journal-of-diabetes-and-endocrinology/