Lock & key model

Imagine cells in our body as houses needing glucose for energy. Insulin is the key to open those house doors.

In Mate Huka Momo Rua:

So, glucose stays and builds up in your blood, because it cannot get into the house (cells), causing Mate Huka Momo Rua (Type 2 Diabetes).

The "Lock":

- Think of the cells in your body like little houses.
- Each house has a door with a special lock.
- This lock lets insulin into the cell or not
The "Key":
- Insulin is a special key.
- This key fits the lock on your cells' doors.
- When the insulin key fits the lock, it opens the door and lets glucose into your cells.
Glucose:
- Glucose is like food deliveries that need to get inside the houses (cells) to give them energy.
- But the glucose can't get in by itself. It needs insulin (keys) to open the door.

What happens in Type 2 Diabetes:

The "Locks" Get Rusty/Damaged:
- In type 2 diabetes, the locks on the cells' doors get rusty or damaged.
- So, even when insulin (the key) tries to open the door, it doesn't work very well.
Not Enough "Keys":
- Also, the body might not make enough insulin (keys).
Glucose (Huka) Stays Outside:
- Because the doors aren't opening properly, the glucose stays outside the cells, in your blood.
- This makes your blood glucose levels too high as it builds up in your blood, as it has nowhere else to go when it cannot get into the cells
Your cells need glucose for energy:
- Even though there's lots of glucose (huka) in your blood, your cells aren't getting the energy they need. So you will be feeling tired.

What this means:

Your body has trouble using insulin to get glucose (huka) into your cells (houses).
This causes high blood glucose (hyperglycemia), and Mate Huka, which can lead to health problems over time.

Overall:

It is like having a key that does not always open the door, and sometimes, you do not have enough keys.

By keeping the body active, and eating healthy, you can help the keys (insulin) to work better.