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Source of Insulin Regulation of Beta Cells in The Pancreas

Normally, your pancreas produces insulin continuously, raising its output in response to the increase in blood sugar that occurs after you eat. This extra insulin "unlocks" your cells so that more sugar can enter, providing your body with energy as well as maintaining a normal level of sugar in your blood.

It is an autoimmune disorder in which the body's immune system destroys, or attempts to destroy, the cells in the pancreas that produce insulin. This auto-immune disease results from the body's failure to produce insulin, the hormone that allows glucose to enter the cells of the body to provide fuel. This is the result of an autoimmune process in which the body's immune system attacks and destroys the insulin producing cells of the pancreas.

In a healthy person, the blood glucose level is regulated by several hormones, one of which is insulin. Insulin is produced by the pancreas, a small organ near the stomach that also secretes important enzymes that help in the digestion of food.Insulin allows glucose to move from the blood into liver, muscle, and fat cells, where it is used for fuel.

Without adequate insulin, glucose builds up in the bloodstream instead of going into the cells. The body is unable to use this glucose for energy despite high levels in the bloodstream, leading to increased hunger.In addition, the high levels of glucose in the blood causes the patient to urinate more, which in turn causes excessive thirst. Within 5 to 10 years after diagnosis, the insulin-producing beta cells of the pancreas are completely destroyed, and no more insulin is produced.

When your pancreas functions normally, your blood glucose fluctuates in response to exercise, stress, infections, food and a variety of other factors. But your hormonal system — including but not limited to the insulin-producing pancreas — continuously makes complex adjustments that keep your blood sugar levels within set limits.People with diabetes either do not produce enough insulin (type 1 diabetes) or cannot use insulin properly (type 2 diabetes), or both.

A neuropeptide called melanin concentrating hormone (MCH) plays a role in the growth of insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas and the secretion of insulin, a new study finds.

MCH is found in the brain and regulates energy balance and appetite. The new finding may help in the development of novel diabetes treatments designed to stimulate production of beta cells in the pancreas, scientists said.

The study, led by researchers at the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston, is published in the journal Diabetes.

A previous Joslin-led study in mice found an association between high levels of MCH and an increase in the number of beta cells. In this new study, researchers conducted a series of tests to confirm that link.

"It's a very logical connection," study leader Dr. Rohit N. Kulkarni, an investigator at Joslin Diabetes Center and assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, said in a prepared statement.

"Whenever you eat food, your body needs more insulin. When MCH induces appetite, it simultaneously increased insulin secretion from beta cells and enhances growth of beta cells. If the proteins that mediate the growth mechanism can be identified, it could lead to the development of new drugs that would enhance beta cell growth to treat type 1 and type 2 diabetes," Kulkarni said.