Can stem cell research provide a cure for diabetes?

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Can stem cell research provide a cure for diabetes?

Main Issue: Diabetes

Secondary Issue: The Use of Stem Cells as a potential treatment Target Audience: Readers of medical journals

Word count:2296

Introduction:

Diabetes is a life long condition where the amount of glucose in the blood becomes too high and the body can not make proper use of it. This is because the pancreas can not produce insulin, produces not enough insulin or the amount of insulin produced does not work properly.

Glucose enters the body by digesting carbohydrate from various kinds of foods and drinks, including foods such as breads, rice and potatoes, fruit, some dairy products, sugar and other sweet foods. Glucose is also produced by the liver. Insulin (a hormone produced by the pancreas) is required for the uptake of glucose by cells, which can be used for energy release in cells.

There are two main types of diabetes

* Type I

* Type II

What happens in diabetes?

After we eat, various foods are broken down into sugars in the gut. The main sugar is called glucose. This is absorbed through the gut