Effects of exercise training on type 2-diabetes: The role of Meteorin-like protein

Abstract

Diabetes, as a chronic condition affects millions of people worldwide. In the United States, approximately 84 million people have pre-diabetes, a condition that blood sugar is elevated but not to the number that is considered as diabetic. More than 30 million people in the United States are diabetic which causes an enormous pressure on individuals, public health, and economics. International Diabetes Federation (IDF) has predicted that the number of cases of type 2 diabetes in the Middle East will increase to 40 million (80% increase) in 2025. In Iran, more than 3 million people are suffering from type 2-diabetes, which has tripled every 15 years. Type 2-diabetes is caused by a combination of genetic disorders and environmental factors such as lack of physical activity and poor nutrition. Obesity plays a key role in most cases of type 2-diabetes. When people become more obese, they reach an abnormal insulin resistant state, causing impaired glucose tolerance, which ultimately leads to the onset of type 2-diabetes. People with type 2-diabetes are at risk of complications including retinopathy and neuropathy. In some cases, type 2-diabetes could be the cause for blindness, kidney failure, and even heart attacks. In diabetic people tissues such as liver, skeletal muscle, and adipose tissue are not able to pick up insulin from blood circulation so over time this leads to insulin resistance. However, this can be compensated by a large amount of insulin production through pancreas. In the past, type 2-diabetes usually has targeted adults but the number of children and adolescents affected by this disease has been increased dramatically. The main reasons could be poor nutrition and sedentary lifestyle.