The initial question concerning this disease is what causes type 2 diabetes? Type 2 diabetes occurs when insulin secretion does not efficiently meet the insulin demands of the body, which results in hyperglycemia. “Type 2 diabetes mellitus signifies hyperglycemia, which is the end stage of beta cell dysfunction. Many of the genes that have been found to be associated with type 2 diabetes are linked …show more content…
Insulin resistance is found to be a chief metabolic problem of many cases of type 2 diabetes. Insulin resistance is known to be the reduced ability of circulating insulin to result in cellular glucose uptake. Glucose is known as the major energy substrate for numerous tissues. Insulin acts by stimulating its receptor on the cell surface. This sets up a flow of phosphorylation steps of subcellular enzymes that are maintained by key regulators. “The ultimate result is the movement of a glucose transporter, glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4), from the cell cytosol to the cell surface, and this permits glucose uptake into the cell.” Within this intricate path, there are several points where the signaling may be disturbed and form mutations. Seldom do genetic mutations in the insulin receptor or its substrate result in insulin resistance. More commonly, increased circulating fatty acids interfere with insulin signaling through a mechanism called lipotoxicity. Also, low-grade systemic inflammation is often found in obesity;