Diabetes and the brain

            The Brain and Diabetes

             Diabetes has become an ever more prevalent disease in the US. There are currently two definite categories of diabetes, Type 1 and Type 2, with a possibly of a third, Type 3. Type 1 diabetes is mostly genetic. In Type 1 diabetes, the body does not produce insulin and requires intervention and injections. Type 2 diabetes is slightly different, but just as dangerous. Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes. In Type 2 diabetes, the body does not use insulin properly, called insulin resistance. Type 3 diabetes is a name suggested for Alzheimer’s disease, resulting from insulin resistance in the brain, but is not understood well enough to be defined conclusively as another type of diabetes. In this essay, when the word ‘diabetes’ is used, it is referring to Type 2 diabetes, unless otherwise stated. With the increasing rate of people contracting diabetes spreading across the country, researchers from many different fields of study; economics, psychology, neuroscience, etc. are studying and calculating the effects that diabetes is having at an individual level up to the national level. These studies mainly focus on the reciprocal relationship of diabetes and other diseases, as well as possible treatments of diabetes.

            Fortunately, many professions have come together to identify some possible causes of diabetes. As a nation, we benefit greatly from the vast variety of educated professionals from all fields of study. Each profession has the ability to look at the issue of diabetes from its own point of view. Psychologists look at behavior and brain function, neurologists focus on brain physiology, economists link diabetes with financial costs, engineers hone in on technology and its application toward diabetes, etc. By looking at the issue from many vantage points, it may be possible to hone in on the absolute problem, or problems, and the real solution(s). This paper makes no claim of identifying the real problem, nor does it declare a final solution, rather this paper will focus on the reciprocal relationship between diabetes and mental disorders and some possible solutions to managing diabetes.

            Diabetes can be either the cause or the result of other problems. It can be very difficult to separate the genesis of disorders from one other. It may be nearly impossible to tell which disorder is the cause, and which is the effect. For example, a person with diabetes is at a higher risk of having obesity and/or certain cancers. Likewise, a person with obesity or cancer is much more likely to eventually develop diabetes. By treating obesity, the risk of diabetes drops. Therefore, a treatment specifically targeting one disorder could technically be a treatment for other disorders. Some other contributors and/or conditions arising from diabetes are mental disorders, weakened immune system, and overall weakened physical brain function.

As stated earlier, diabetes has a large effect on mental health: physically, mentally, and psychologically. In fact, many people battling depression and dementia are much more likely to contract diabetes (Seaquist et al, 2009). This is because mental issues, such as depression, affects a person’s psychological being. This can decrease a person’s ability to manage overall wellness in healthy ways, causing poor lifestyle decisions, and can largely contribute to increased stress levels, effectively weakening the immune system and worsening the symptoms of diabetes. Reciprocally, those with diabetes have an increased risk of developing brain problems and mental disorders. … showed that those with Type 2 diabetes declined cognitively over the course of the 2-year study. One proposed reason for this was because diabetes impaired the body’s ability to regulate blood flow to the brain due to irregular and excessive inflammation around blood vessels in the body (Chung et al, 2015). This affected the subject’s ability to focus and normally carry on everyday tasks.

            Mental issues, as with the case of depression and other issues, can mean flaws in thought patterns and ideas. In one study, participants given certain treatments for weight loss felt as if they had less diet restrictions (Fontaine et al, 2016). They believed that a weight loss pill gave them absolute freedom to eat anything they wanted with few, if any, side effects or health complications. This mental thinking actually caused the subjects to overeat, causing a decrease in overall health and increasing the risk of obesity and diabetes. This wasn’t because of the side effects of the weight loss pill, but because of the psychology that people had concerning the weight loss pill. From this, one might sense that diabetes can be a psychological issue, rising from bad habits and erroneous perceptions.

People with Type 2 diabetes produce extra insulin. The extra insulin has been shown to enter the brain and disrupt some brain functions and causing various toxic proteins to form. Interestingly enough, studies have revealed a definite correlation between having diabetes and developing Alzheimer’s. Interestingly enough, people with Alzheimer’s have been found to have an insulin resistance much greater than those without Alzheimer’s. For this reason, scientists have suggested that Alzheimer’s be labeled a ‘Type 3’ diabetes (De la monte, 2008). However, Alzheimer’s may also be cause by the effects of Type 2 diabetes. Perhaps by finding the cure for diabetes, Alzheimer’s could also be cured, or vice versa.

            The solution might not necessarily come from one professional field or another. Rather, the solution might come from a combination of ideas from all walks of life. One study focusing on diet showed that diabetes could actually be managed by the application of a ‘fasting-like’ diet (Di Biase et al, 2016). This diet strengthened individual’s immune system, raising the levels of bone marrow cells that generated immune cells and the ‘T-regulatory’ cells. This diet decreased the probability of contracting cancers. The study concluded that a diet such as this, “may protect against cancer development, and therapies for diabetes may prove to be effective adjuvant agents in reducing cancer progression.” Therefore, by studying treatment for cancers, researchers are conceivably studying treatments for diabetes as well.

            As mentioned before, diet plays a large role in the likelihood of someone contracting diabetes. A 22-year study found that those who consumed sugary drinks regularly had a 26% greater risk of developing Type 2 diabetes than people who didn’t consume sugary drinks regularly (Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health). This is heavily due to the increased sugar intake. The body must work harder to produce insulin to break the sugars down. Eventually the body is less able to handle the amount of sugar being consumed and starts to lose functions. One of the first is the pancreas, the maker of insulin. This break down of the pancreas is one cause of Type 2 diabetes.

                Diabetes could also be cured by focusing on treating the mental issues that people face. Teaching people correct wellness habits, helping people manage stress in healthy ways, and consistent education on diabetes could prove to be more effective than we think. There seem to be many studies that link diabetes with mentality. By supporting and promotive healthy thinking, diabetes could be greatly diminished, but this would require time, effort, and a breaking of ingrained habits. But, people do need to be educated on the major causes of diabetes which, I believe, is one of the most proactive things that anyone can focus on and implement to solve the epidemic of diabetes.

References

Chung, C., Pimentel, D., Jor'dan, A. J., Hao, Y., Milberg, W., & Novak, V. (2015). Inflammation-associated declines in cerebral vasoreactivity and cognition in type 2 diabetes. Neurology, 85(5), 450-458.

De la monte, S., and Wands, J. (2008) Alzheimer’s Disease Is Type 3 Diabetes-Evidence Reviewed. J Diabetes Sci Techol. 2(6), 1101-1113.

Di Biase, S., Lee, C., Brandhorst, S., Manes, B., Buono, R., Cheng, C., . . . Longo, V. (2016). Fasting-Mimicking Diet Reduces HO-1 to Promote T Cell-Mediated Tumor Cytotoxicity. Cancer Cell, 30(1), 136-146.

Fontaine, K. R., Williams, M. S., Hoenemeyer, T. W., Kaptchuk, T. J., & Dutton, G. R. (2016). Placebo effects in obesity research. Obesity, 24(4), 769-771.

Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Retrieved September 24, 2016, from https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/sugary-drinks-fact-sheet/

Seaquist, E. R. (2009). The Final Frontier: How Does Diabetes Affect the Brain? Diabetes, 59(1), 4-5.