An illustration of Type 2 diabetes,a disease characterised by insulin resistance. Insulin is produced by islet cells in the pancreas,and acts in unison with glucose to regulate energy in the body's cells. In Type 2 diabetes,not enough insulin is produced to work with and moderate the glucose; alternately,sometimes enough insulin is manufactured,but it is not absorbed into the blood and body cells adequately,causing an excessive buildup of glucose. This is what causes the symptoms of diabetes. This illustration depicts glucose molecules (entering a cell at the upper left) building up inside the cell. The insulin protein,emanating from the islet cells of the pancreas,are denied entry into the cell,where they would have regulated the action of the glucose. For unknown reasons,insulin cannot pass across the receptors on the surface of the cell |