What is diabetes?

Insulin resistant diabetes is all about diet. Better food choices make a significant difference in both onset of the disease and in management. Proteins in place of pasta, brown rice, whole wheat breads, fruits with natural sugar are needed, lots of veggies, and very little sugar or sugary foods and simple starches like pasta and white rice. Limit more the total calories. Calories, the bane. Everything we eat turns to glucose, plus building blocks.

Glucose, a sugar manufactured from our food, is what the body uses to run itself, inside each and every cell, work is constantly going on. With too many calories, the liver turns the excess into fat and sends it off to be stored. Too much fat eventually affects the entire system. Oxygen is the other key ingredient, and both circulate in the blood. After too much overeating, for too long, the body's natural insulin poops out. Research shows that there is some insulin in the blood, but for reasons not understood, it no longer functions well. Insulin is the gatekeeper, or the transport for glucose into or through the cell walls. It escorts it through the cell wall. Think of an usher at church or a large function, making sure everyone gets to the proper seat. When the sugar isn't going into cells, blood sugar levels rise. The higher the blood sugar, the nastier the blood veins and arteries get with unused sugar, then the unused stuff gets stored as more fat, though the body is actually starving, which triggers hunger.

Blood glucose levels should be around 70-120. Too low is as bad, or worse. Anyway, no glucose, no functioning cells. The most fragile seem to be nerve cells, and the kidneys, eyes, feet and hands go first. So uncontrolled diabetes leads to blindness, kidney failure, thus kidney dialysis, loss of feeling in feet, leading to undiagnosed infections, poor circulation so poor healing, and eventually inability to walk, swollen feet, and even loss of digits, feet or even whole legs. Medications stimulate the pancreas back to good production, as does loss of weight for those overweight. Eventually, in the downward spiral, insulin is given. It must be given by injections or the body would break it down into pieces, so it can't be taken by pill. If someone is on pills, they aren't on insulin. With Type I, infection kills off the insulin producing glands, so there is no insulin present at any time. Type I is thus much nastier, and is usually child onset, so is present for much longer.

Another special way to track long term blood sugars is performed at regular physical exam blood test, the A1c, which checks for long-term sugar amalgamation to red blood cells, indicating if you've had issues through the last few months.

Exercise seems to help both types of diabetes. Leaner body mass helps with the insulin control and blood sugar levels, but people using insulin need to really watch blood sugars when exercising vigorously to avoid low blood sugars, which are just as nasty, because the cells still aren't being fed.

A doctor will determine when a person is at risk because of the high blood sugars and the first line of drug treatment is often metformin, a medication which aids the insulin to enter cells, gradually lowering blood sugars, when used in conjunction with altered life style, both types of foods eaten and exercise levels. Even a moderate weight change can make a great difference. The best bet is to make changes before the sugar levels get too high.

Learn more about this author, Louy Castonguay.
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