ABSTRACT

POSTUMT DELTAGANDE.
POSTER PRESENTERADES AV Dr LENA HÅGLIN.

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7th INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP
ON PHOSPHATE AND OTHER MINERALS

             MARSEILLE, FRANCE, September 1/4, 1985

 

EFFECTS OF P-DEPLETION IN DIABETES MELLITUS

1. Bergengren, Inst. of Pathology, University of Umeå, Sweden.

Hypothesis No.1: P-deficiency is the primary and insulin deficiency a resultant, secondary factor in the etiology and pathogenesis of the diabetes syndrom.

Hypothesis No.2: In animals as well as in human patients, it is easy to compensate P-depletion which is an effect of diabetes by phosphate-rich food and/or P-supplementation per os. This means a new profylactic and terapeutic treatment of the diabetes syndrom.

Insulin does not cure diabetes but it controls the blood glucose lev­el. One ofits functions is input of P and potassium. If the supply of these minerals is reduced, insulin adapts by increased secretion. This may lead to exhaustion and result in pancreas diabetes. Insulin insuffiency can thus be seen as one ofthe consequences of P-depletion. Others affect skeleton, muscles, nervous tissues but most important the vascular system. Ditzel has shown that when the ratioDPG/hemoglobin drops, it reduces the ability of the red blood cells to supply oxygen to the tissues. Ritz has shown an increase of lipo proteins in rats with P-deficiency. My own experiments with rats on P-deficient diet have shown a pronounced increase of the coagulation tendency. All these insults are due to lack of P and not to lack of insulin. Normal carbohydrate metabolism implies a series of intracellular phosphorylation processeswhich require sufficient blood phosphate level or the result will be metabolic acidosis. Acidosisfacilitates P-elimination with the urine and thus the condition is self-aggravating. There are reports on increased losses of P with the urine in diabetics and the increase accelerates along with the complications. The milk-cow can be deprived via the milk of morethan 1% of her total P-supply in 24 hours. The result would be collapse of skeleton and metabolism and death within a couple of weeks unless the animal is given phosphate per os. This can prevent many structuralchanges, similar to those that affect patients with long-standing diabetes; muscle atrophy, osteoporosis and nerve lesions. Medicine has not tried giving P-supplementation to diabetics but I obtained healing of ulcer and improved skeletal condition.

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