Common Forms Of Treatment For Insulin Resistance

Insulin resistance occurs when the body decreases its receptivity to insulin, thus diminishing insulin's beneficial effects. The condition has a number of causes and risk factors. One of the main risk factors is genetics. There are certain drugs that are risk factors as well. In fact, over the years, there have been a wide variety of factors that seem to increase the odds of a person developing insulin resistance. A partial list of these factors are - obesity, pregnancy, metabolic syndrome, stress, infection, steroid use, and some diseases.

Type II diabetes mellitus is a condition where there is intense insulin resistance. It is a condition where the body cannot properly use insulin. This is true even in the cases where the beta cells are actually producing insulin.

In a normal body, insulin will bind to receptors in the body's cells. This, in turn, induces them to use up blood glucose for energy. But, where insulin resistance is occurring, the cells either do not respond at all to insulin or they respond poorly. As a result, this causes the pancreas to produce more insulin to make the body respond.

As the cycle continues, the body produces more and more insulin. Over time, if this scenario continues to happen without treatment, over time, insulin resistance increases, and the time will come when the pancreas ceases to produce insulin. And, when this happens, blood glucose levels will dramatically increase.

The degree of this type of insulin resistance can be diagnosed through measuring fasting insulin levels. There are also, glucose tolerance tests and the modified insulin suppression test which can help gauge the degree of the problem.

The best treatments for treating insulin resistance involves constant exercise and watching your diet. Particularly, eating more healthy foods and laying off of the junk foods that are so prevalent in the market place.

If the problem has escalated, however, dietary changes and exercise may not be enough. In this case your doctor will try a series of medications to see which ones your body will best respond to.

There are many medications used to treat insulin problems such as this. One such drug is metformin (Glucophage) which prevents the release of glucose from the liver into the blood and increases cellular sensitivity to insulin so that they remove more insulin from the blood and decrease blood sugar. Metformin has been known to halt the progress of diabetes by 31%.

Acarbose is another drug used to control the effects of insulin resistance; it slows down intestinal absorption of sugars, decreasing the need of the pancreas to produce insulin, especially after meals. Acarbose is reported to halt the progress of diabetes by 35%.

Meet Insulin, The Glucose Salesman

Insulin is a hormone produced by your pancreas that transports glucose from your bloodstream to the cells. It does this by 'latching on' to free glucose molecules, then seeking out cells that actively want to 'buy' some glucose. When a cell needs more glucose it displays specific insulin receptors on its cell membrane. Rather like hanging a sign outside your home asking insulin to drop by with some glucose. If the cell doesn't want extra glucose, it doesn't display the receptor.

Insulin's Busy Working Day

At the start of insulin's working day, he is despatched from the pancreas with instructions to locate unattached glucose molecules and 'sell' them to a cell. When the insulin molecule spots a cell with a 'glucose wanted' receptor display, it carries the glucose molecule over, hands it to the cell, and departs to locate another glucose molecule to 'sell'.

What if no cells are buying glucose today?

If the cells don't need any more glucose right now they don't display the 'glucose wanted' receptor, and insulin simply continues circulating through your body, glucose attached, looking for a buyer. This is 'insulin resistance'. Rather like having too many salesmen out on the road when nobody wants to buy. Eventually insulin will arrange for the glucose to be converted into fat, and push the glucose molecule into a fat storage cell. Fat cells just hang around doing nothing, producing nothing; but they're always happy to accept another fat donation.

What changes the cell's mind about buying?

Physical activity uses up glucose, forcing your cells to call for more. This is why increasing your activity levels is such an important step in overcoming insulin resistance.

Why to avoid excess sugar

Sugar is a clever enemy. It knows how to tug at your emotions. Initially, you'll feel happier and more energetic after consuming something sugary. When you eat something sweet, your brain initially throws a party: neurotransmitters release opioids, giving you a sense of well-being. Your blood glucose level rises quickly, providing immediate energy. So far so good. But insulin, the glucose salesman, is called in to 'sell' the glucose to cells. The higher the amount of circulating glucose, the more insulin that will be secreted.

Soon, the excessive amount of sugar you ate is 'sold' or diverted to fat storage (often on your lower abdomen), and your blood glucose level can fall, fast, too low. The party's over, and your brain craves more sugar. Your energy levels fall quickly too. You may experience brain 'fog', trouble concentrating, mood swings, dizzy spells or sweating. So to feel better, you eat something sugary again, and the cycle repeats. Eventually your pancreas may become exhausted from continual secretion of insulin; its insulin -producing cells may die from exhaustion, resulting in diabetes.

The most effective way to manage your blood glucose and keep your insulin salesman working productively is to keep your sugar intake to a minimum, and get enough of the right sort of exercise.

Olwen Anderson is an accredited naturopath based on the north coast of New South Wales, Australia. Visit her web site for free health information, subscribe to Health e-News for up to date natural health information; and read more articles that can help you take control of your health. Visit http://www.olwenanderson.com.au/

Type 2 Diabetes - Exercise Helps Improve Insulin Sensitivity and Blood Sugar Levels!

Exercise or physical activity is just as important as diet and, in some cases, as important as drugs in managing Type 2 diabetes. Physical activity is recommended as a powerful way of preventing and treating Type 2 diabetes because it:

lowers blood sugar and improves insulin sensitivity,lets you store more blood sugar,burns more body fat,keeps weight off,dramatically reduces the risk of heart disease,prevents or delays Type 2 diabetes,reduces stress,prevents or delays retinopathy,prevents or delays neuropathy.

Researchers at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Nord-Trondelag University in Norway, Mid-Sweden University, and the Hormone Laboratory at Oslo University Hospital, Aker, Norway, studied two types of exercise: endurance resistance training and maximal resistance training, to determine what type might be better for preventing various conditions.

Resistance exercise: This is the kind of exercise in which the muscles are worked against a physical force. Lifting weights and doing push-ups are classic examples of resistance movements. In lifting weights the exerciser is working the muscles against the force of gravity pulling down on the weights. Push-ups allow the whole body, being pulled down by gravity, to present resistance against the arm muscles.

Resistance training: Endurance resistance training involves working the muscles against moderate forces with many repetitions, while maximal training of this type consists of working the muscles against the most force possible for a relatively short amount of time.

Study Results: The study, published in the Journal of Strength Conditioning Research in January 2012, included 18 participants with really poor ability to handle dietary sugar...

one group engaged in maximal resistance training, whilethe second group was assigned endurance resistance training.

Both types of exercise were found to be beneficial. By the end of the study participants in the maximal resistance training group showed:

lowered blood sugar levels,reduced insulin resistance, andlowered C-peptide levels (C-peptide is produced along with insulin, and high levels can mean that the body is struggling against insulin resistance).

Volunteers in the endurance resistance training group showed:

reduced levels of insulin,better insulin sensitivity, andimproved pancreatic function,as well as improved ability of their muscles to take in sugar and use it as energy.

From this study it was concluded both types of resistance training could be useful for preventing Type 2 diabetes.

The Mayo Clinic recommends resistance training for other benefits as well as preventing Type 2 diabetes. Other conditions that can be prevented or managed include:

osteoporosis,arthritis,back pain,depression, andobesity.

Your bones are constantly being broken down and built up, and resistance training helps to tilt the balance in favor of building up. As we age our bones have the tendency to become brittle and fracture easily, a condition known as osteoporosis, which resistance training can help to prevent or even reverse.

Building up the muscles that move the joints can help to reduce joint pain in arthritis. Our backs have not been upright for very long in the evolutionary scale of things, and back pain is not uncommon. Building up muscles in the back can make them more fit to hold up the back bones and internal organs.

Exercise helps your body to build up endorphins, a good way to fight depression. As the muscles become better developed they will use up more calories, helping to prevent and diminish overweight and obesity.

Why not discuss with your doctor whether a plan for resistance training might be right for you.

To discover answers to questions you may be asking yourself about Type 2 Diabetes, click on this link... Natural Diabetes Treatments