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The Artificial Pancreas For Diabetics Is Nearly Here
the_newsbeagle writes: It's the tech that type 1 diabetics have long been waiting for: An implanted "closed-loop" system that monitors a person's blood-sugar level and adjusts injections from an insulin pump. Such a system would liberate diabetics from constant self-monitoring and give parents of diabetic children peace of mind. Thanks to improvements in glucose sensors and control algorithms, the first artificial pancreas systems are now in clinical trials.
It's a self regulating insulin pump. That's a wonderful for type 1 diabetics, but the pancreas produces more than just insulin.
Glucagon is the primary axis hormone to insulin. A true artificial pancreas would monitor both hormones to optimize that relationship.
Well, actually, there are two kinds of diabetes. In one type (adult-onset diabetes or Type 2 diabetes) the body becomes less and less responsive to insulin. This is the kind associated with obesity, and the pump won't help this much. The other type (juvenile diabetes or Type 1 diabetes) is caused by the body stopping production of insulin, generally because the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas die off. The body remains completely responsive to insulin; the problem is that there isn't any any more. This will be a godsend for people with Type I.
No, Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease, not a symptom of a lifestyle problem. It's not caused by lifestyle either.