What causes the destruction of beta cells in juvenile diabetes?
A. That’s the golden question. It’s unknown what triggers the immune attack on the beta cells. Years ago we weren’t really interested in how that happens as much as in how the immune response could be mitigated. Antioxidant supplementation was one strategy to help stop some of the consequences of the immune attack on the beta cells. Q. Is that because reactive oxygen species are implicated in the destruction of these cells? A. Exactly. Immune cells produce reactive oxygen species to kill pathogens like viruses. In type 1 diabetes, the immune system is activated, and macrophages, monocytes, and neutrophils start generating lots of oxidants to try to destroy the pathogen, and the beta cells are unfortunate victims of the attack. Q. Why are beta cells vulnerable to these oxidants early in life but not in adults? A. That’s unknown. The islet cells are uniquely sensitive to oxidative stress, especially early in life. For example, if a premature infant is put into a high oxygen environment b
