Diabetes mellitus type 1 According to the current definition, two fasting glucose measurements above 126 mg/dl (7.0 mmol/l) is considered diagnostic for diabetes mellitus. In type 1, pancreatic beta cells in the islets of Langerhans are destroyed, decreasing endogenous insulin production. This distinguishes type 1's origin from type 2. Type 2 diabetes is characterized by insulin resistance, while type 1 diabetes is characterized by insulin deficiency, generally without insulin resistance. Another hallmark of type 1 diabetes is islet autoreactivity, which is generally measured by the presence of autoantibodies directed towards the beta cells. The appearance of diabetes-related autoantibodies has been shown to be able
Epigenetics of diabetes Type 2 re-methylated to form methionine, be taken into the cysteine biosynthetic pathway, or be freed into the extracellular medium. When a person lacks sulfur in their diet, it prompts the body to use methionine and form cysteine. This in turn increases the risk of a person contracting type 2 diabetes later in life. The reason behind this turns out to be rather simple. Methionine directly affects S-adenosyl methionine (SAM) levels. SAM is the substance that provides the methyl groups for DNA methylation. A shortage of SAM leads to an inability to develop proper methylation patterns, and is thought to be an