The answer to the prevention of diabetes may finally be here. However, like most treatments to diseases, medical and ethical issues are presented. But first, what are diabetes? Diabetes is a predispositioned disease, meaning it is encoded into your genetic makeup and you can be diagnosed at any point in your life. The main types are type I diabetes mellitus (T1DM) and type II diabetes mellitus (T1DM). Type-1 is typically diagnosed at a young age and is irreversible. A recent search performed by the Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health found a 21% rise in people under the age of 20 diagnosed with type-1 diabetes. Only 5% of cases of cases are T1DM which is typically known as an autoimmune disease. It is formed because the body’s. Type II is the most common form of diabetes which accounts for at least 90% of all cases. One major difference that distinguishes type II diabetes from type I is the age and weight of those diagnosed. Physically inactiveindividuals over the age of 30 are at greater at risk for developing type II diabetes. About 80% of people with type II diabetes are overweight while the 20% are of normal weight. The disease occurs because of the body’s resistance to respond to the hormone, insulin, commonly known as. Specialized cells, called beta cells, produces the hormone within the pancreas. Our bodies need insulin to absorb glucose for energy. The pancreas attempts to make up for the lack of insulin and when not enough is produced, high blood sugar levels and/or high cholesterol occur. People with T1DM cannot produce any insulin at all. The solution to the prevention of the development of diabetes is the . Gene Therapy Treatment is a new process that is able to repair mutated genes of one’s DNA that can cause unwanted health problems or diseases such as diabetes. This treatment is beneficial because it allows the researchers to be able to introduce new genetic information into damaged cells to make up for thecurrent rate of undiagnosed cases. Gene Therapy Treatment begins by locating the mutated cell in a person’s DNA. The researcher is then able to inject the mutated cell with a specific gene that is inclosed within a transportation vessel called a vector. A disclaimer from this treatment is that there are possible medical issues that can occur during this trial. One medical issue is that after the procedure is completed, the patients immune system may try to attack the new implanted gene because it sees the genes as an intruder which can lead to organ failure. Another medical risk is that the vector, which is inserted into a specific cell, might attack additional cells that can damage perfectly healthy cells that can lead to further illnesses as well. Also one reason why one might not want to complete this process is because there is an underlying ethical issue linked to this process. Some might see this process as “playing God” because of the alteration of one’s genetic make up. Thistherapy this does not mean that you are now immune from diabetes. Since type II diabetes is generally a predisposition gene in most cases, this means that if one is living an unhealthy lifestyle, such as not exercising or eating healthy, they could still be at risk for developing this disease. Research has found the most important and effective way to lower one’s risk from developing this type of is to exercise regularly and develop healthy eating habits. Refraining from high carbohydrate foods or food that contain an excessive amount of sugar is imperative. Diet and exercise have virtually no negative medical implications. In our society, diabetes has a negative connotation because some people think diabetes is a “disease for overweight people”. This is not true! Anyone can have diabetes and reducing your risk for developing the disease is important. Genetic testing may save your life to treat any complications you may currently face or face in the future. Even though there can besome medical and ethical issues related to the prevention of diabetes, most of the time it is better to know if you are at risk for this disease instead of not knowing at all. Prevention of diabetes is promising for the future. Contributors: Diana Smith and Angie Phrasavath
