Could You Be on the Road to Diabetes and Not Know It?
What is Diabetes?
“Diabetes” generally refers to “diabetes mellitus” in which there is an abnormally high amount of blood glucose due to problems with the regulatory hormone insulin. In Type 1 Diabetes there is an absence of insulin. Type 1 Diabetes was a death sentence prior to 1922 when insulin extracted from animals was first used in humans. Type 2 Diabetes is very different than Type 1 Diabetes. In Type 2 Diabetes plenty of insulin is present but cells do not respond normally to its effects and are said to develop “insulin resistance.”
What is Insulin?
Insulin is a hormone secreted by the pancreas in response to glucose levels in our bloodstream. Insulin functions as a key which allows glucose to enter cells as be used for energy production or stored for later use. Insulin is a storage hormone. Blood glucose levels are primarily driven by dietary carbohydrates but are also affected by other dietary nutrients and several hormones, the most important being insulin.
What is Insulin Resistance?
Insulin resistance may develop when a person’s diet and lifestyle stimulate frequent or excessive insulin secretion over a sustained period (usually years). In the time course of this disease, when carbohydrates are consumed blood glucose is initially kept within normal limits by ever-increasing amounts of insulin (the body is compensating). However, after high insulin levels are present for a sustained period the body is unable to adequately respond with enough insulin to maintain a normal blood glucose. Insulin resistance is a prime example of “too much of a good thing.” Pre-Diabetes and, eventually, Type 2 Diabetes are the results of decompensated insulin resistance in most body tissues, but insulin resistance in specific organs may be associated with other diseases.
Who May Have Insulin Resistance?
Insulin resistance is a common, though under-diagnosed, condition present anywhere that highly processed foods and lifestyles of over-consumption and frequent consumption are prevalent. Insulin resistance can have different appearances in individuals. Not everyone with insulin resistance may be obese or overweight based on BMI (Body Mass Index), and not everyone who is obese or overweight based on BMI may have insulin resistance (though it is a risk factor).
There are several conditions associated with insulin resistance:
Pre-Diabetes
Type 2 Diabetes
Metabolic syndrome (a combination of elevated blood glucose, low HDL (“good”) cholesterol, high levels of triglycerides (a type of “bad” blood fat), high blood pressure, excess body fat around the waist (apple shaped body or truncal obesity)
Overweight and Obesity
Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease
PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome)
Alzheimer’s Disease
History of Gestational Diabetes
Family History of Type 2 Diabetes
A person diagnosed with any of the above conditions is likely to have some degree of insulin resistance and is at high risk of progressing to Type 2 Diabetes in the future.
The great news is that insulin resistance can be improved and even reversed by making changes to one’s diet and lifestyle. Mind Over Metabolism can help you hop off the “Road to Diabetes” and find your path to a longer and healthier life!