SLC2A4 and diabetes mellitus: Three main biological mechanisms lead to increased glucose uptake in muscle tissues: (1) an increase in local muscular blood flow is responsible for more insulin being driven towards muscle tissues and thus leads to a higher glucose intake level due to insulin-stimulated GLUT-4 whose capacity is reduced but not annihilated in patients with diabetes; (2) enhanced insulin receptor (IR) sensitivity7 ; and (3) an activation of contraction-induced GLUT-4 due to exertion.