Macroautophagy: protector in the diabetes drama?

Macroautophagy ("autophagy") is regulated by the same insulin-amino acid-mTOR signaling pathway that controls protein synthesis. Although the literature does not so far include any direct studies confirming this, we expect autophagy to increase during insulin resistance. We discuss the possibility that this may be a useful mechanism for eliminating damaged mitochondria and other cell structures to prevent cell death.