My GP has diagnosed me with diabetes 2 based on my latest lab results. I've been struggling with insulin resistance for a few years but previously managed to keep it under control (and lose weight) using berberine. In the past nine months, I've put on a lot of weight and have had incredible cravings causing me to overeat. My labs from two weeks ago look like this:
fasting blood glucose 110 mg/dL (ref 70-105) a year ago: 90
fasting insulin 18.0 uU/mL (ref 2.6-24.9) a year ago: 13.4
But I have read that diabetes 2 leads to decreased insulin production over time, and my fasting insulin levels are high and have even risen in the past year.
Does this mean that I have not yet developed full-blown diabetes 2, but "only" have insulin resistance? Or how were you diagnosed with diabetes 2?
1. Insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes are inter-related. Insulin resistance gradually pushes your fasting blood glucose to pre-diabetes level ( 100 - 125 mg/dl) and eventually to full blown diabetes when your fasting blood glucose becomes 126 and more.
2. Based on your current fasting BG of 110 you are in pre-diabetes stage.
3. It would be better if you also take a blood test for HbA1c which will confirm the state of your diabetes as suggested by ramana42 .
4. INSULIN RESISTANCE:
HOMA - IR can be calculated from your blood glucose and insulin numbers. Below are the results of my calculations:
HOMA - IR a year ago: 3.0
HOMA - IR in the current year: 4.9
Healthy Range: 1.0 (0.5–1.4)
Less than 1.0 means you are insulin-sensitive which is optimal.
5. Formula for HOMA - IR calculations: using the units of your numbers one can calculate HOMA - IR from the relationship below:
HOMA - IR = Insulin X Glucose /405.
Reference: The Blood Code, page no. 39 by Dr. Richard Maurer
Please note that HOMA - IR is not in clinical practice currently. Still data is being collected. Take it like an initial indicator.
5. Way forward: It should be possible to fix your problem by dietary changes coupled with some physical activities. Losing weight, if overweight, will be quite helpful. Consider following LCHF diet in consultation with your GP. It has helped many people lose weight and fix blood glucose issues. For further details on LCHF diet follow the link below started by
Dr. Andreas Eenfeldt. Dr. Andreas Eenfeldt is a Swedish medical doctor specialized in family medicine.
The problem is insulin resistance also causes weight gain and makes it virtually impossible to lose weight.
I thought I could give Victoza a try to see if I can get my cravings under control. That should help me lose some weight. It's always encouraging to get quick results in the beginning to stay motivated.
What about supplements such as berberine, gymnema sylvestre, cinnamon...? Diabecon DS is for people with pre-diabetes and newly diagnosed type 2 diabetics and there is also Glucofix formulated by an endocrinologist. It has great reviews on Amazon. I am now talking about long-term solutions as I would not want to stay on Victoza indefinitely.
I also have hypothyroidism so gain weight easily and have more trouble losing it.
You are right - insulin resistance means high level of insulin which causes weight gain. It is therefore important to reduce the level of insulin. Dietary carbohydrate intake impacts insulin level most followed by protein and there is negligible rise in insulin level due to dietary fat. In order to limit the rise in insulin level, it makes sense to follow a diet which is low in carb, moderate in protein and rest healthy fat. In combination with some physical activities LCHF diet is known to produce impressive weight-loss results. Diet and exercise are most effective in such cases.
I agree with you that initial favourable weight loss result will be a great boost. You may achieve that by LCHF diet. It keeps you satiated for longer duration without any hunger pangs.
If you want to lose weight using medicine, you should discuss with your Doctor. I am not suggesting against the Doctor's prescribed medication. Regarding supplements, you have to try and see. There is no consensus on the use of supplements. Always keep your Doctor in the loop for dietary changes and supplements to avoid any undesirable consequences.
PS. I should add that I have exercised like crazy all summer and it's done nothing for me weight- or blood sugar -wise...if anything, it seems to have matters worse. I read somewhere that overexercising will increase cortisol production and that too can cause weight gain and blood sugar issues...?
You do not have to exercise like crazy. Do some walking or some light activities. What about your diet? Have you considered changing your diet? Major weight loss will be through diet.
What is your weight and height, if I may ask?
Your blood sugar numbers are not bad as such. May be just the weight is the issue. You can take medicine prescribed by your Doctor and you can always come off once you achieve a healthy weight.
Liraglutide (generic name) Victosa (brand name) injection may increase the risk that you will develop tumors of the thyroid gland, including medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC; a type of thyroid cancer).
PLEASE be aware that this is not a site for medical advice on whether it is appropriate for you to take or continue with current medication. Clearly you are being treated for Diabetes by your physician and the only advice you should be taking regarding prescribed medication is from the Doctor.
You mention a few very interesting points - the question of being insulin resistance is a new concept and one that I find hard to struggle with purely because your pancreas either does or does not deal effectively with the sugar that the body has and if your body needs help with medication, then as far as I am aware, you have type 2 Diabetes. There is no such category as "Full Blown" or minor Diabetes, just type 2 Diabetes.
Any good doctor will treat every patient differently since the disease will present itself in many ways and for many reasons and will always give the patient "strong" advice on an appropriate diet and sustained exercise and if appropriate, how to give up smoking and how to manage alcohol intake - at the outset. The answer is generally, in the hands of the patent for with care with what one eats and exercise one does can give the patient good control of the disease - and in general layman's terms, this advice allows the patient to balance their own blood sugar levels. That does not mean that you do not have diabetes, only that is is controlled by diet and exercise.
One will still be required to undertake the HbA1C test at least once a year, ideally twice yearly with yearly eye screening for signs of glaucoma or any other eye problems. Testing ones blood will be determined by how well you manage your blood sugar levels and how many times you overdo it and have to check for the results and record them, ideally.
Everyone must be aware that Diabetes is a "progressive" disease and the pancreas will degenerate. However, if you are able to manage your B/S levels through diet and exercise, it is quite possible to remain in this neutral position for a very long time, even a life time. But, at your peril, believe you are a super person and will not succumb to the disease through bloody mindedness, you will fail! The price of failure is being placed on medication, tablets initially and eventually will have to begin to take Insulin to manage the sugar in the blood. This is not a sign of having "full blown" Diabetes, just the natural progression of the disease. The future is very dangerous to ignore and why I implore everyone to heed the advice of their doctor and try and manage their Diabetes through diet and exercise with an initial target of reaching a safe body mass index - and stay there.
Future problems with Diabetes could result in heart, eye, circulation, nerve ulcer problems, most of which, if they do come to plague you, they will never go away and only get worse. Again, the answer is really in your hands.
With today's life style and diet and relaxation methods. all one needs to do is look at the shape of many of the public one sees on our streets today to understand that body mass concerns are to a great extent, being ignored and the outcome of this is that Diabetes is now becoming a World Wide epidemic that could cause a breakdown in our NHS and cause others to a life of debt or pain whilst attempting to manage their disease,
I cannot stress to much that the answer is in your hands and early intervention and management skills can bring ones body to a balance where life can go on in a normal way, once one learns that for everything that one consumes, solids or liquid, will affect the body in some way. The extent of that influence is a skill when managing food and exercise and lifestyle in general.
Easy for you I hear you say, well I am type 2 diabetic, I went from 18.5 stone (259 lbs) to 11 stone (154 lbs) with one years dedication and now have a BMI of 23. I am 5'8" tall and 69 years of age, having been diagnosed with the disease for 12 years. At the point of wanting to change I was taking 200 units of Humalog Mix 25 a day plus Metformin and it just kept creeping up, plus signs of numbing in feet and and consistent weight gain. My fears were for my prognosis of life which were not good. I heard of studies that had been done at the University of Glasgow and using a strict calorie controlled diet (theirs was liquids) could negate the need for any medication with an outcome that the pancreas could again begin to heal and produce insulin, I emphasise the word "could" for it does not work for everyone and was told that if I had had Diabetes for more than 5 years the outcome was not favourable - well I tried and I have succeeded and therefore if I can do it, anyone can.
As they say, everything to gain and nothing to lose. Do consult your doctor before going on a calorie controlled diet, just to make sure you are fit enough to do it and to begin a regime of exercise - appropriate to your age, weight and fitness levels. I do not advocate paying for diets for there are many low calorie good foods available and using common sense eating fruit, salmon, vegetables, lean meats, grill cook, brown bread, wheat breakfast biscuits etc.
Good luck, may we all live long and prosper! If we believe in our own abilities and TRY.
• in reply to
Thanks for your input.
I've exercised like crazy in recent months, often to the point of exhaustion, and it has done nothing for me as my blood sugar levels were in range a year ago and now are out of range for the first time ever.
I have, however, over consumed carbs, especially fast carbs. My terrible cravings and weight gain started a year ago after I was put on high doses of steroids (prednisolone) for a short period of time. That's when I lost control of my cravings and started gaining weight at an alarming speed. Since then, it's like my whole metabolism has changed and slowed down, although doctors claim short-term treatment with steroids should not have long-term effects as the body recovers from it pretty quickly. But I know that my current problems started when I was put on steroids ad have not disappeared since.
Your case is not difficult to treat , though it is challenging. ☺️
Yours is a classic case of significant IR
(Insulin Resistance). As explained rightly by Praveen and calculated value of Insulin Resistance 4.9 as against a healthy range upto 1..
You can be categorised as Obese type 2 with enough circulating blood level Insulin which needs to be controlled by (1) LCHF diet (2) Calori restriction ( less than your BMR) (3) physical exercise.
If i calculate your Pancreas beta cell status HOMA-B = (360xFI) ÷( FG-63) and substitute your current values of fasting insulin and fasting Glucose, it comes to 138 as against a normal value range of 70 to 140...
So you need not have to worry for your pancreas beta cell. But unfortunately if you don't control IR /blood sugar level , beta cells could gradually damage.. .
As many members have said, LCHF would not lead to insulin spike. However with LCHF diet , you also need to restrict your daily calories I e 10-20% less than your BMR- Basal Metabolic Rate....
You can also follow IF with 16x8 window with two meal a day- you may please read the recent posts by Praveen. .
It is as simple as that - Burn your Fat but not your dietary calories or else you may not be able to reduce your weight.
Finally, even with restricted Carbohydrate, whatever fat protein you eat would also get converted in to sugar by a process called Gluconeogenesis by liver.....
On medication, you may seek medical advice and i feel you can take Metformin after consulting your doctor. Metformin is good for insulin resistance which is also known to reduce weight without any known side effects.
The above advice is only for Obese Type 2 with High insulin level....For thin type 2 with BMI 18-19, the strategy could be bit different ...
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Insulin Resistance
Insulin level- Type 2 