Diabetes mellitus is a disease that affects the way the human body obtains energy from food. There are two forms of diabetes mellitus; type one and type two. Both of these forms of diabetes are the result from a defect in a negative feedback loop that regulates blood sugar levels. The negative feedback loop in someone without diabetes works by using a sensor, effector, and control center. The sensor indicates that there is an increase in blood sugar which lets the pancreas, or control center, release insulin. Insulin acts as the effector, and facilitates the reuptake of glucose from the cells, therefore, bringing blood sugar levels back down to normal. However, a human with type one diabetes creates antibodies that destroy the pancreatic beta cells, therefore, destroying the sensor and control center of the negative feedback loop. As a result, the pancreas does not know to secrete insulin and leaves the blood glucose levels abnormally high. As for type two diabetes, insulin resistance leads to the increase in blood sugar. The damaged part of the negative feedback loop is the effecter, as it does not respond to the insulin. This decreased sensitivity to insulin makes the glucose not readily enter the cell and does not let the blood sugar levels return to normal after eating food.
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