Insulin Resistance & Type 2 Diabetes
By Dr Joseph J Collins, ND, RN
This article is part of the Blood Sugar Health Educational Module
Insulin resistance is when the cells in your muscles, fat, and liver don’t respond well to insulin and become less efficient at taking up glucose from your blood. As a result, your pancreas makes more insulin in response to the high blood glucose levels, which may help glucose enter your cells. With increased amounts of insulin bombarding the muscle, fat and liver cells, the cells start to decrease the amount of insulin receptors that they have. This insulin-induced receptor downregulation of insulin receptors is the mechanism by which insulin resistance and prediabetes start. The downregulation of insulin receptors can eventually lead to type 2 diabetes.
The inability of insulin to properly enter cells, due to the downregulation of insulin receptors, results in increased blood glucose levels because the insulin cannot get enough glucose into the cells. The pancreas initially responds to insulin receptor downregulation (and the higher glucose levels) by increasing insulin levels in the blood. This may present as high fasting insulin levels and excessively high insulin levels after eating a meal (or after a Glucose Tolerance Test).
Fasting insulin levels are now being considered as important as fasting glucose levels when assessing for risk of prediabetes. HbgA1c (hemoglobin-A1C) is another lab test commonly used to assess the risk for prediabetes/diabetes. HgbA1c is also known as glycosylated hemoglobin. It is used to calculate what your average blood sugar has been over the past eight to twelve weeks. HgbA1c may be high even when fasting glucose is normal if a person has excessively high post-prandial (after eating) glucose levels.
If your pancreas can make enough insulin to overcome your cells weak response to insulin, your blood glucose levels will stay in the healthy range.
Two Types of Diabetes
Diabetes is a disease in which the ability of the body to produce or respond to the hormone insulin is impaired. This can result in abnormal metabolism of carbohydrates, as well as lipids and fatty acids. There are two types of Diabetes; Type 1 Diabetes, which is associated with autoimmune disease, and Type 2 diabetes, which is associated with insulin resistance.
The inability of insulin to properly enter cells, due to the downregulation of insulin receptors, results in increased blood glucose levels because the insulin cannot get enough glucose into the cells. The pancreas initially responds to insulin receptor downregulation (and the higher glucose levels) by increasing insulin levels in the blood. This may present as high fasting insulin levels and excessively high insulin levels after eating a meal (or after a Glucose Tolerance Test).
Fasting insulin levels are now being considered as important as fasting glucose levels when assessing for risk of prediabetes. HbgA1c (hemoglobin-A1C) is another lab test commonly used to assess the risk for prediabetes/diabetes. HgbA1c is also known as glycosylated hemoglobin. It is used to calculate what your average blood sugar has been over the past eight to twelve weeks. HgbA1c may be high even when fasting glucose is normal if a person has excessively high post-prandial (after eating) glucose levels.
If your pancreas can make enough insulin to overcome your cells weak response to insulin, your blood glucose levels will stay in the healthy range.
Two Types of Diabetes
Diabetes is a disease in which the ability of the body to produce or respond to the hormone insulin is impaired. This can result in abnormal metabolism of carbohydrates, as well as lipids and fatty acids. There are two types of Diabetes; Type 1 Diabetes, which is associated with autoimmune disease, and Type 2 diabetes, which is associated with insulin resistance.
- Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system causes destruction of the cells that create insulin (beta-cells). Typically, type 1 diabetes occurs in childhood and adolescence (although it can occur at any age) and is evidenced by complete insulin deficiency. As a result, people with type 1 diabetes require insulin therapy to control high blood sugar and to stay alive. Obesity does not usually play a role in the development type 1 diabetes. However, if someone with type 1 diabetes becomes obese, they have a higher than usual risk of developing of cardiovascular complications.
- Type 2 diabetes occurs because insulin function is adversely affected to the point that normal insulin is no longer able to control excessive blood glucose levels. Type 2 diabetes is associated with insulin resistance. Excess caloric intake, inactivity, and obesity all play parts in the development of type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is a disease that used to be called “adult onset” diabetes because it occurred with increasing age, but today more children are being diagnosed with the disorder, probably due to the rise in childhood obesity.
Type 2 diabetes and prediabetes (insulin resistance) are both recognized as having increased risk for development of cardiovascular disease in addition to other metabolic complications. If prediabetes is recognized quickly and healthy dietary and lifestyle changes are made, then with support of the Glucose-Insulin System (GIS), diabetes can be avoided.
Insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes may be avoided by supporting the function of the Glucose-Insulin System to prevent high blood sugar by improving the functions of insulin and glucose.
Specific herbs in GlucoQuench™ have been shown to support the production and function of insulin by various mechanisms.
Insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes may be avoided by supporting the function of the Glucose-Insulin System to prevent high blood sugar by improving the functions of insulin and glucose.
Specific herbs in GlucoQuench™ have been shown to support the production and function of insulin by various mechanisms.
Summary:
Insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes may be avoided by supporting the function of the Glucose-Insulin System to prevent high blood sugar by improving the functions of insulin and glucose
GlucoQuench™ contains herbs that can support the proper functions of insulin and glucose.
Insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes may be avoided by supporting the function of the Glucose-Insulin System to prevent high blood sugar by improving the functions of insulin and glucose
GlucoQuench™ contains herbs that can support the proper functions of insulin and glucose.
References & Addition Reading
Reviewed & Updated: 07/20/2019