ELI5. If you eat a butt-load of sugar at once (think 10 cadbury creme eggs worth), is a single instance enough to trigger type 2 diabetes? If it’s not, why can the body handle that much sugar sometimes, but eventually it causes type 2 diabetes?

Question

ELI5. If you eat a butt-load of sugar at once (think 10 cadbury creme eggs worth), is a single instance enough to trigger type 2 diabetes? If it’s not, why can the body handle that much sugar sometimes, but eventually it causes type 2 diabetes?

In: Biology

Answer 1

Type 2 diabetes is caused by insulin resistance. When we eat carbohydrates, our blood sugar goes up. In response, our pancreas produces insulin. Insulin is a hormone that triggers cells to uptake glucose. When the glucose enters the cells, blood glucose decreases. When blood sugars are high frequently, the cells become less responsive to the presence of insulin and blood sugar remains high. This is type 2 diabetes.