Diabetes, Insulin Resistance and Double Diabetes

Insulin is a hormone, everyone needs it to live. People that don't have diabetes are usually unaware of it's going on inside of their bodies. Every time a non diabetic person eats, their pancreas secretes insulin to help facilitate the absorption of glucose into their cells to be used or stored as energy. It is like a key that opens the cell wall to allow passage, without it, people can't clear glucose from their blood.

Type 1 diabetics don't make insulin. This is typically due to an autoimmune response or pancreatic damage. So, type 1 diabetics have to supplement their natural insulin production and essentially start doing all of the calculations their pancreas would normally do via checking their blood glucose and using insulin injections, insulin pumping, and now there are even inhale-able types of insulin, to clear the glucose from their blood and allow it to be utilized by their bodies. Type 1 diabetics are encouraged to eat a well balanced diet to avoid other health problems and to keep them from also becoming insulin resistant, but no amount of diet and exercise will "cure" type 1 diabetes.

Insulin resistant individuals still make their own insulin but their cells become stubborn and don't want to allow the insulin to work effectively. Normally insulin resistance will also accompany other hormone imbalances that may in turn make the resistance worse, making the hormone imbalance worse, and so on in a vicious cycle. Insulin resistant individuals will continue to make more and more insulin until their cells finally give in and allow the insulin to work. When this happens, the person's blood glucose levels will typically go from the highest peak, which can be in a normal range or can be in a high range depending on the level of resistance and the speed of insulin production of each individual; and then drop rapidly causing low blood sugars after eating meals that are high in sugar or starch content. Eating a balanced diet and exercising can help this condition in most people. It may not "cure" it but if a person changes their lifestyle it can be controlled most of the time via healthy food choices and less sedentary lifestyles.

Type 2 diabetics typically start with insulin resistance and work their way up to type two diabetes, this is not always the case but it seems to be a going trend. Type 2 diabetes usually develops if a person doesn't take the necessary steps to better their eating and exercise habits while in the insulin resistant stage. Type 2 diabetics still make insulin but have become so insulin resistant that they need medications to make their cells more sensitive to insulin. In some cases type 2 diabetics will become so insulin resistant that the medications alone won't work, and may require extra insulin on top of the naturally produced insulin to help keep blood sugars under control. Eating a balanced diet and exercising can help this condition in most people. It may not "cure" it but if a person changes their lifestyle it can be controlled most of the time via healthy food choices and less sedentary lifestyles.

Double diabetes develops most often when a type 1 diabetic becomes so insulin resistant that they are also considered a type 2 diabetic. Less frequently type 2 diabetics could also develop type 1 diabetes also resulting in double diabetes.

A well balanced diet isn't only encouraged for people that already have health issues. It is the first defense we have against eating our way into poor health.