Depression And Diabetes

by Christiana Care

December 14 2007 day 64 – Depression


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There seems to be a 10% to 30% incidence of depression in people who have diabetes {Source: ADA}. The cause remains unknown. Some people believe that the depression stems from the inability to control blood sugar levels, and the (misplaced)guilt of not managing it. I have my own theories, though. Unlike natural human insulin, the current crop of synthetic insulins do not permeate the blood-brain barrier. Besides, C-Peptide, a protein that is produced by the beta cells of the pancreas along with insulin, is not added to the synthetic insulin. Does this lack of C-Peptide in some way induce depression in diabetics? Or is it because current synthetic insulins don’t permeate the blood-brain barrier? We don’t know. Yet. What is known is that we have to be proactive in helping diabetics combat depression.

There is no cure for diabetes, yet. And no, I am not depressed, and don’t see myself getting depressed. Yet.

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