Microvascular Disease and Blood Sugar Levels
By Dr Joseph J Collins, ND, RN
This article is part of the Blood Sugar Health Educational Module
Microvascular disease is a well-known complication of excessive blood glucose and a common problem in diabetes. Microvascular disease can cause damage to heart, kidneys, peripheral nerves and the retina of the eyes. The damage to these tissues is in large part due to the effects that high glucose levels have on cells that do not require insulin to have sugar move into the cell.
Even though fat cells, (adipocytes) and muscle cells (myocytes) require insulin to move glucose into the cells, some other cells and tissues do not require insulin to uptake glucose into the cells. Cells that can uptake glucose without insulin include the brain and other nerve cells, red blood cells, nerve cells and cells that line blood vessels (the vascular endothelium). Some organs, like the liver, brain, kidneys, lens of the eyes and the heart do not completely depend on insulin for their glucose uptake. These organs uptake glucose by the process of simple diffusion, which means that if glucose levels are too high, then too much glucose can diffuse into these cells and tissues.
That can be a problem because excessive glucose into the cells can be converted into sorbitol by an enzyme in the cell called aldose reductase. Aldose reductase is an enzyme in the polyol pathway.
The polyol pathway is a two-step metabolic pathway in which glucose is reduced to sorbitol by aldose reductase, sorbitol is then oxidized to fructose by sorbitol dehydrogenase. Fructose is more easily converted into glycogen and triglycerides, which are the two storage molecules that the body uses to store excessive glucose.
This conversion of glucose into sorbitol is a metabolic process that cause increased oxidative stress in the cell, due to depletion of glutathione, an antioxidant inside of the cells. The oxidative stress may then result in inflammation of coronary blood vessels (causing atherothrombosis). In addition to the microvascular damage, the hyperglycemia and oxidative stress can also damage heart muscle cells to the degree that it may result in diabetic cardiomyopathy, a form of heart failure.
Aldose reductase activity will continue to increase as the glucose concentration rises in diabetes, causing increasing sorbitol inside of cells. Sorbitol does not diffuse through cell membranes easily and therefore accumulates in the cell, causing osmotic damage (increased pressures), as well as the previously mentioned oxidative stress and inflammation. The increased oxidative stress and increased osmotic pressure in the nerves and small blood vessels cause nerve damage and microvascular damage (especially in the retinal of the eyes and in the kidneys). As a result, the excessive levels of glucose eventually result in the nerve disease (neuropathy), disease of the retinas in the eyes (retinopathy) and kidney disease (nephropathy), which are all commonly seen in uncontrolled diabetes.
Inhibition of the aldose reductase enzyme can decrease the development and progression of diabetic neuropathy, retinopathy and nephropathy.
Five of the botanical ingredients in GlucoQuench™ have been documented as having aldose reductase inhibition properties. All the botanical ingredients in GlucoQuench™ have documented ability to decrease inflammation and decrease oxidative stress.
Even though fat cells, (adipocytes) and muscle cells (myocytes) require insulin to move glucose into the cells, some other cells and tissues do not require insulin to uptake glucose into the cells. Cells that can uptake glucose without insulin include the brain and other nerve cells, red blood cells, nerve cells and cells that line blood vessels (the vascular endothelium). Some organs, like the liver, brain, kidneys, lens of the eyes and the heart do not completely depend on insulin for their glucose uptake. These organs uptake glucose by the process of simple diffusion, which means that if glucose levels are too high, then too much glucose can diffuse into these cells and tissues.
That can be a problem because excessive glucose into the cells can be converted into sorbitol by an enzyme in the cell called aldose reductase. Aldose reductase is an enzyme in the polyol pathway.
The polyol pathway is a two-step metabolic pathway in which glucose is reduced to sorbitol by aldose reductase, sorbitol is then oxidized to fructose by sorbitol dehydrogenase. Fructose is more easily converted into glycogen and triglycerides, which are the two storage molecules that the body uses to store excessive glucose.
This conversion of glucose into sorbitol is a metabolic process that cause increased oxidative stress in the cell, due to depletion of glutathione, an antioxidant inside of the cells. The oxidative stress may then result in inflammation of coronary blood vessels (causing atherothrombosis). In addition to the microvascular damage, the hyperglycemia and oxidative stress can also damage heart muscle cells to the degree that it may result in diabetic cardiomyopathy, a form of heart failure.
Aldose reductase activity will continue to increase as the glucose concentration rises in diabetes, causing increasing sorbitol inside of cells. Sorbitol does not diffuse through cell membranes easily and therefore accumulates in the cell, causing osmotic damage (increased pressures), as well as the previously mentioned oxidative stress and inflammation. The increased oxidative stress and increased osmotic pressure in the nerves and small blood vessels cause nerve damage and microvascular damage (especially in the retinal of the eyes and in the kidneys). As a result, the excessive levels of glucose eventually result in the nerve disease (neuropathy), disease of the retinas in the eyes (retinopathy) and kidney disease (nephropathy), which are all commonly seen in uncontrolled diabetes.
Inhibition of the aldose reductase enzyme can decrease the development and progression of diabetic neuropathy, retinopathy and nephropathy.
Five of the botanical ingredients in GlucoQuench™ have been documented as having aldose reductase inhibition properties. All the botanical ingredients in GlucoQuench™ have documented ability to decrease inflammation and decrease oxidative stress.
Summary:
In specific cells, excessive glucose can be converted into sorbitol by an enzyme in the cell called aldose reductase, resulting in development of coronary microvascular disease, diabetic neuropathy, retinopathy and nephropathy.
Specific herbs used in GlucoQuench™ have been documented as having the ability to inhibit aldose reductase activity and may decrease the onset and progression of diabetic neuropathy, retinopathy and nephropathy. All the botanical ingredients in GlucoQuench™ have documented ability to decrease inflammation and decrease oxidative stress.
In specific cells, excessive glucose can be converted into sorbitol by an enzyme in the cell called aldose reductase, resulting in development of coronary microvascular disease, diabetic neuropathy, retinopathy and nephropathy.
Specific herbs used in GlucoQuench™ have been documented as having the ability to inhibit aldose reductase activity and may decrease the onset and progression of diabetic neuropathy, retinopathy and nephropathy. All the botanical ingredients in GlucoQuench™ have documented ability to decrease inflammation and decrease oxidative stress.
References and Addition Reading
Reviewed & Updated: 07/21/2019