Wednesday, March 13, 2024

How Does Type 2 Diabetes Affect The Immune System

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Allergies Are Also An Immune System Mistake

What is type 1 diabetes immunotherapy? | Diabetes UK

If youve ever been to see a doctor who specializes in allergies, you may have noticed a sign on the door: Allergy and Immunology. Yup, they go hand-in-hand.

For some reason, in people with allergies, the immune system strongly reacts to an allergen that should be ignored. The allergen might be a certain food, or a certain type of pollen, or a certain type of animal fur. For example, a person allergic to a certain pollen will get a runny nose, watery eyes, sneezing, etc., Joslins Dr. Jackson tells DiabetesMine.

People with one autoimmune condition can be prone to getting a second one too. In the case of T1D, that second is often thyroid disease, or, you guessed it an

Bladder And Sex Organs

Uncontrolled blood sugar forces your bladder to handle a lot of urine because your body retains more fluid. You may wake often at night to use the bathroom. The interrupted sleep can be one reason diabetes leaves you tired.

Or diabetes can damage your nerves so you wont feel that your bladder is full. You could leak pee. Weakened urinary muscles can make it harder for you to empty your bladder fully. Or you may pee too much.

Poor bladder control, plus high blood sugar and immune system problems, can lead to urinary tract infections .

Biomarkers Of Inflammation And Immunity And Disease

Finally, the role of inflammatory and immune biomarkers for the prevalence of disease-associated complications was evaluated in the subgroup with type 2 diabetes. Regression models for the four most frequent complications, i.e., neuropathy , macroalbuminuria , nephropathy , and retinopathy , were analyzed . After adjustment for sex and age, CVRF, comorbidities, acute infection, arthritis, hemostatic disorders, and autoimmune disease, higher concentrations of WBCs in general and granulocytes in particular were associated with the prevalence of retinopathy and elevated lymphocytes and CRP concentrations with the prevalence of neuropathy. Further, higher hematocrit values were associated with a lower prevalence of proteinuria. The sample size for foot amputation, dialysis, and blindness was too low for further analysis.

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Defects In Pathogen Recognition

Martinez et al. also reported that expression of Toll-like receptor -2 and Toll/IL-1R domain-containing adaptor protein , which play role in pathogen recognition, was reduced in diabetic mice . However, several studies have shown increased expression of TLRs in neutrophils and monocytes isolated from people with diabetes . An analysis by Gupta et al. revealed that TLR expression was lower in diabetic subjects with complications and poor glycemic control but elevated in patients with well-controlled hyperglycemia without complications . Hence, the impact of hyperglycemia on TLR expression and related immunity in diabetic subjects remains unclear.

Prevalence Of Cvrfs And Comorbidities According To Glucose Status

Priming the immune system to attack cancer

Sample characteristics according to the glucose status are presented in . Compared with individuals with normoglycemia and prediabetes, subjects having type 2 diabetes were more frequently of male sex. With the exception of smoking, the prevalence of CVRFs increased from individuals with normoglycemia to those with prediabetes and to those with diabetes, respectively. Subjects with prediabetes had the highest prevalence of smoking compared with subjects with diabetes or normoglycemia.

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How Does Diabetes Affect The Immune System

The immune system of the person with diabetes is damaged or rendered defective. This happens at the cellular level. If high blood sugars are present, such as is the case with uncontrolled diabetes, cells behave accordingly.

There is more chance that microorganisms in the body will become viral, leading to infections. This is due to the decreased immune response. The cells do not join to kill off the invading microorganisms in a high sugar environment.

Once blood sugars are brought into a normal range, immune system responses become more rapid and the body can ward off infections.

In relation to yeast infections and its prevalence in diabetes, yeast cells have an affinity for adhering themselves to diabetic cells. Its likely that carbohydrates at the receptor level of the cell attract yeast to these diabetic versus non-diabetic cells.

This is possibly why yeast infections in people with diabetes can be difficult to cure. 1

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Quitting Smoking And Other Habits That May Be Harming Your Health

If you havent quit smoking or using tobacco products yet, make plans to do so now. You can call the quit line in your state to seek help. They may have nicotine patches, gums or lozenges available for you as stop smoking aids. Visit your doctor to discuss whether you might need Wellbutrin or Chantix to stop smoking.

It’s the most important thing that you can do for your health. Tobacco or nicotine containing products tend to bind with all the oxygen in our system. It cuts our circulation, and when we have diabetes, we already have compromised circulation.

Smoking increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke and circulatory problems throughout the body. It also is responsible for certain cancers and respiratory diseases. Smoking has been linked to many chronic diseases and cancers, so quit today.

Alcohol, as said, can affect our quality of sleep, but it can also sabotage our diabetes management. High carbohydrates and sugars in alcoholic beverages tend to raise our blood sugars. Generally, women should aim for one drink if they have one, and men can have up to two alcoholic beverages daily.

People who drink a lot of alcohol have health problems ranging from a greater risk for diseases that are spread , pneumonia and suppression of immune responses.

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Is Building Immunity When You Have Diabetes Possible

Type 1 Diabetes, as we know, is by nature an autoimmune disorder, whereby the immune system attacks beta cells in the pancreas and renders them unable to produce insulin, which is needed for all our bodys cellular processes.

Type 2 Diabetes, though we generally dont think of it as an autoimmune disorder, is the combined process of not enough insulin produced and the bodys resistance to its own insulin which makes it unusable.

This also affects the immune system in several ways. High blood sugars, as discussed above, contribute to infections and other illnesses in the person with diabetes, either Type 1 or Type 2. This is due to a decreased functioning of white blood cells that play an important role in the bodys immune response.

You can, however, increase your immune response when you have diabetes. Since poor immune response is related to high blood sugars, controlling those is the key to keeping an intact immune response when you have diabetes. To figure out how you can counteract viruses, fungi and bacteria in your system, read on

Why Are Infections Risky For People With Diabetes

How Infection Causes Diabetes

People with diabetes are more adversely affected when they get an infection than someone without the disease, because you have weakened immune defenses in diabetes. Studies have shown that even those who have minimally elevated blood sugar levels are more likely to experience surgical-site infections following a surgery. Hospitalized patients who have diabetes do not necessarily have a higher mortality rate due to infections, but they do face longer hospitalization and recovery times.

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Brazil Nuts Help Support Thyroid Function Thanks To Their Selenium

Selenium is another important mineral for those with type 2 diabetes, says Cunningham, because it supports thyroid health. According to the American Diabetes Association, both diabetes and thyroid disease are endocrine issues, so those who grapple with thyroid issues could have a more difficult time with blood glucose control.

Selenium plays a critical role in regulating thyroid hormones, the NIH says. Because research has found that those with diabetes have a higher prevalence of thyroid disorders, it’s helpful to keep your thyroid function up to scratch with good nutrition.

Cunningham recommends a small serving of Brazil nuts to get what you need. According to the Cleveland Clinic, that’s 4 medium-size Brazil nuts . In addition to being a single protein serving, the USDA notes that 4 Brazil nuts offer 383.2 mcg of selenium, or nearly 7 times the DV. That same serving size of Brazil nuts contains only 2.35 g of carbs.

How to enjoy them Because it takes so little to get benefits from Brazil nuts, Cunningham suggests including one in your snack rotation, or you can also slice a Brazil nut in thin strips and put it on a salad or over steel-cut oatmeal.

Insulin Resistance And Hyperglycemia

Increased blood glucose levels after eating induce insulin production and secretion by islet cells into the blood. The binding of insulin and insulin receptors in cell membranes induces glucose transporter translocation to the cell membrane and increases glucose uptake by the cells, resulting in decreased glucose levels in the blood. Failure of the pancreas to produce sufficient insulin, improper insulin action, or both, results in hyperglycemia. This is associated with damage and failure of various organs and tissues in the long term.

Elevated levels of tumor necrosis factor – in adipose tissue of obese mice were shown to be associated with insulin resistance in those mice . Furthermore, interleukin -6, C-reactive protein, plasminogen activator inhibitor, and other inflammation mediators were elevated in the plasma of obese mice . TNF-, free fatty acids, diacylglyceride, ceramide, reactive oxygen species , hypoxia activate I kinase , and c-Jun N-terminal kinase I in adipose tissue and the liver induce insulin receptor substrate inhibition . Moreover, TNF- also leads to insulin resistance via inhibition of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma function .

Molecular mechanism of insulin resistance due to inflammation .

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Impairment Of Adaptive Immunity In T2dm

Humoral Immunity

Elevated levels of blood glucose generate covalent sugar adducts with several proteins through non-enzymatic glycation. This can impair humoral immunity in many ways, e.g., by modifying the structure and functions of immunoglobulins . Such modifications in the structure of Igs can be determined using matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry . The molecular mass of Igs in diabetic patients is higher than in normal subjects . This can lead to reduced efficiency of vaccines that stimulate humoral immunity in these patients. It has been shown that immunization with influenza vaccines in diabetic patients induces normal or even elevated levels of flu-specific antibodies compared with normal individuals . However, the ability of the dysfunctional glycated antibodies to neutralize viruses is impaired, which will increase the susceptibility to infections. Farnsworth et al. have shown that in T2DM, class switch defects in the assembly of antibody genes are also present .

Cellular Immunity

Cd4+ T Conventional Cell Dysregulation In T2d

Influenza Virus

Treg cells are central in orchestrating the suppression of autoreactive responses by inhibiting the action of Th1 and Th17 cells counterpart. At the central core of autoimmune disease development, there is an imbalance between pro-inflammatory Th1/Th17 and anti-inflammatory Treg . Is this imbalance actually observed also in T2D?

When TNF receptor superfamily member 5 /CD40 ligand pathway, central player in the onset and maintenance of the inflammatory reaction, was studied in human AT, a direct cross-talk between adipocytes and lymphocytes was described, based on actual cell-cell contact . CD40 mRNA levels were significantly higher in subcutaneous than in visceral AT of obese subjects and were positively correlated with BMI, and with IL-6 and leptin mRNA levels. T lymphocytes were thus hypothesized to regulate adipocytokine production through both the release of soluble factor and heterotypic contact with adipocytes involving CD40, that may play a direct role in obesity-associated human AT inflammation .

It is also important to consider that cell death and destruction lead to a relevant consequence on the perspective of self recognition: the release of a potentially notable amount of cryptic cell antigens with immunogenic potential . These cell-free antigens may now encounter self-reactive T cells, leading to further immune-mediated cell death and islet destruction .

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Quick Tips For Helping Increase Your Immunity

The following are quick tips to help you increase your immune system response if you have diabetes. Follow these tips for a healthier you with less colds, viruses and nasty microbes to fight off in your system.

As you age, your immune system response can become slow. When you have diabetes, this is doubly true.

  • Get enough exercise
  • Get the right amount of sleep
  • Eat the right portions of carbohydrates, proteins, fats
  • Stop any bad habits such as smoking and drinking alcohol
  • Managing your stress levels can also play a big role

The No 1 Way To Boost Your Immune System Is Reducing Stress

There is overwhelming evidence that stress and the substances secreted by the body during stress negatively impacts your ability to remain healthy, says neurophysiologist Dr. Carl J. Charnetski of Wilkes University in Pennsylvania. There are dozens, if not hundreds, of studies attesting to how stress affects the bodys ability to respond to infection.

This just as true for people with diabetes as for the general public.

In our modern times, worries about the coronavirus, the stock market, and the general disruption of life have added to our stress levels, but we know that stress also can make you more susceptible to respiratory illness, writes Tara Parker-Pope at the New York Times.

Suggestions to reduce stress include exercise, meditation, controlled breathing, and talking to a therapist.

Other tactics for boosting the immune system include:

Research has shown that vitamin C supplements can reduce the duration of colds in the general population by about one day on average but the supplements did not prevent the common cold.

Also, no evidence suggests that vitamin C supplements can help prevent flu strains like COVID-19, according to testimony by Dr. William Schaffner, professor of preventive medicine and infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University, published in New York Times Parenting.

If theres going to be an advantage, its going to be very modest, he said.

After a

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How Do Health Care Professionals Diagnose Type 1 Diabetes

Health care professionals usually test people for type 1 diabetes if they have clear-cut diabetes symptoms. Health care professionals most often use the random plasma glucose test to diagnose type 1 diabetes. This blood test measures your blood glucose level at a single point in time. Sometimes health professionals also use the A1C blood test to find out how long someone has had high blood glucose.

Even though these tests can confirm that you have diabetes, they cant identify what type you have. Treatment depends on the type of diabetes, so knowing whether you have type 1 or type 2 is important.

To find out if your diabetes is type 1, your health care professional may test your blood for certain autoantibodies. Autoantibodies are antibodies that attack your healthy tissues and cells by mistake. The presence of certain types of autoantibodies is common in type 1 but not in type 2 diabetes.

What Is The Difference Between Type 1 And Type 2 Diabetes

Type 1 diabetes: A tale of the pancreas under siege | Professor Sarah Richardson

In type 1 diabetes, people produce little or no insulin, as the insulin-producing cells have been destroyed by the bodys immune system. Type 1 diabetes is an auto-immune disease.

In type 2 diabetes, the body may make enough insulin early in the disease, but doesnt respond to it effectively. As type 2 diabetes progresses, the pancreas gradually loses the ability to produce enough insulin. Type 2 diabetes is associated with inherited factors and lifestyle risk factors such as being overweight or obese, poor diet, and insufficient physical activity.

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What Are The Symptoms Of Diabetes

Symptoms of diabetes include:

Type 1 diabetes symptoms: Symptoms can develop quickly over a few weeks or months. Symptoms begin when youre young as a child, teen or young adult. Additional symptoms include nausea, vomiting or stomach pains and yeast infections or urinary tract infections.

Type 2 diabetes and prediabetes symptoms: You may not have any symptoms at all or may not notice them since they develop slowly over several years. Symptoms usually begin to develop when youre an adult, but prediabetes and Type 2 diabetes is on the rise in all age groups.

Gestational diabetes: You typically will not notice symptoms. Your obstetrician will test you for gestational diabetes between 24 and 28 weeks of your pregnancy.

What Your Immune System Does

You dont need to be an immunologist to understand how your immune system works. For the most part, your immune system has one job, and thats to prevent infection. Its like having your own Secret Service detail, 24/7.

Your immune system is clever in that it can distinguish between normal, healthy cells and unhealthy cells by recognizing a variety of danger cues called danger-associated molecular patterns . Examples of unhealthy cells are cells that might be damaged due to an infection, a sunburn or cancer. Microbes, such as viruses, bacteria and fungi can also damage cells by releasing another set of signals called pathogen-associated molecular patterns .

Basically, these DAMP and PAMP signals activate the immune system to respond. If ones immune system isnt working as it should, problems occur, such as an infection. Likewise, if ones immune system is activated when theres no need, or it goes into overdrive, it can cause issues such as allergic reactions or autoimmune disease.

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High Blood Sugar Offers Bacteria The Perfect Environment To Thrive And Grow

Hyperglycemia promotes the production of destructive molecules in the body, which interferes with the bodys natural defense mechanism and hobbles its ability to fight infection and inflammation. The impaired defense mechanism makes way for bacterial and viral infections in the body.

Also, increased levels of glycogen in the body lead to increased acidity an environment perfect for microorganisms to thrive unchecked.

A compromised immune system makes infections risky for people with diabetes and even a slightest infection affects them adversely. The weak immune system also increases the hospitalization rate in diabetics and prolongs their recovery time.

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