prompter: Hey, Assistant, I am currently working on a nursing school assignment and would really appreciate your help in comparing and contrasting type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Could you first define them at a 5th grade reading level and tell me the key differences between them?

assistant: Diabetes mellitus is a medical condition that affects how the body processes sugar (also known as glucose) in the blood. There are two main types of diabetes: type 1 and type 2.

Type 1 diabetes, also called juvenile diabetes or insulin-dependent diabetes, is a condition in which the body's immune system attacks and destroys the cells in the pancreas that produce insulin. Insulin is a hormone that helps regulate blood sugar levels in the body. People with type 1 diabetes need to take insulin injections or use an insulin pump to manage their blood sugar levels.

Type 2 diabetes, also called adult-onset diabetes or non-insulin dependent diabetes, is a condition in which the body becomes resistant to the effects of insulin, or doesn't produce enough insulin to properly regulate blood sugar levels. This type of diabetes is often associated with lifestyle factors such as obesity, inactivity, and poor diet.

Here are some key differences between type 1 and type 2 diabetes:

Type 1 diabetes usually develops in childhood or adolescence, while type 2 diabetes typically develops in adulthood.
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune condition that requires insulin treatment, while type 2 diabetes can often be managed with lifestyle changes and oral medications, but may also require insulin.
People with type 1 diabetes typically have to monitor their blood sugar levels more frequently and carefully than those with type 2 diabetes.
Type 2 diabetes is often associated with obesity, while type 1 diabetes is not.
Type 1 diabetes is less common than type 2 diabetes, accounting for only about 5% of all diabetes cases.

prompter: How does sugar get in the blood?

assistant: Generally, carbohydrates in food are broken down by the digestive system into sugar, which then enters the blood. At relatively low concentrations, the glucose is transported through the mucosal lining into the epithelial cells of the intestine by active transport via SGLT1, a co-transporter of sodium and glucose. First, the Na+/K+ ATPase transports 3 sodium ions out into the blood, while bringing in 2 potassium ions using energy from ATP, creating a downhill sodium ion gradient from the outside to the inside. The SGLT1 then uses the energy from the gradient to transport glucose inside. The glucose is then transported into the blood by facilitated diffusion via the transporter GLUT2. At high concentrations, the active transport of glucose is saturated, and other mechanisms might be involved in the absorption of glucose. However, it still needs further research. 
Galactose is transported in the same way as glucose via the same transporters, while fructose is transported entirely by facilitated diffusion. The absorption of fructose is much slower than glucose and is quantitatively limited.

assistant: Sugar is present in food and drink that human consumes. They are also the digestive product of other common food components like starch. Once food is digested inside human's digestive system, sugar from food is absorbed at small intestine into the blood.

prompter: So how does the small intestine absorb the sugar and put it into the blood? Are there special cells to do this?

assistant: In general, the _metabolic pathway_ of blood-sugar is as follows:

1. Carbohydrates are consumed as food.
2. Digestive enzymes break down carbohydrates into glucose (a type of sugar).
3. This glucose is absorbed into the blood-stream through the intestinal wall.

However, there are a number of more complex variations on this metabolic pathway, for example:

- Glycolysis
- Gluconeogenesis
- Glycogenolysis
- Glycogenesis
- Fructose metabolism
- Galactose metabolism

The metabolic pathways followed will depend on the type of food consumed, the amount of glucose required by the body, and the health of the person in question.

assistant: Sure! Type 1 diabetes is when your body doesn't make insulin anymore.  Insulin is important for turning sugar into energy. People with Type 1 diabetes need to take insulin every day so they can live.

Type 2 diabetes is when the body does not use insulin well or makes less of it over time. This happens most often in adults who are overweight, but can also happen in children if they don’t exercise much and eat too many sugary foods.  Many people with Type 2 diabetes can control their blood glucose (blood sugar) by eating healthy, being active, losing weight, and taking medicine.  Sometimes doctors might even recommend that someone with Type 2 diabetes needs to start using insulin injections like patients with Type 1 diabetes have to do.

Now, let's look at the key differences between Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes:
1. Cause: Type 1 diabetes is usually caused by an autoimmune response, which means the body attacks its own insulin-producing cells. In Type 2 diabetes, the body doesn't use insulin properly, often because the cells become resistant to insulin.
2. Age of onset: Type 1 diabetes often starts in childhood or adolescence, while Type 2 diabetes usually develops in adults. However, Type 2 diabetes can also occur in younger people, especially if they are overweight or have a family history of diabetes.
3. Treatment: People with Type 1 diabetes need to take insulin every day, either through injections or an insulin pump. Type 2 diabetes is often managed with lifestyle changes, like a healthy diet and exercise, and may require oral medications or insulin injections if lifestyle changes are not sufficient.
4. Prevalence: Type 2 diabetes is much more common than Type 1 diabetes. About 90-95% of people with diabetes have Type 2, while only 5-10% have Type 1.
6. Risk factors: Type 1 diabetes is often genetic, and there is no known way to prevent it. Type 2 diabetes has several risk factors, including obesity, physical inactivity, family history, and age.

I hope this helps you with your nursing school assignment! Let me know if you need any more information.

prompter: How can we reduce the risk of being affected by type 2 diabetes?