Insulin Resistance and what to do about it

age_is_just_a_number

I watched these two videos:

• Dr. Yasmine Elamir
• Talking with Docs Dr. Brad Weening and Dr. Paul Zalzal

They are both talking about insulin resistance, what causes it, how to avoid it, how to deal with it. But their solutions are different.

Dr. Yasmine Elamir suggests food sequencing with the protein, fat and vegetables eaten before the main carbs because this 'coats' the stomach with other food before the main carbs are consumed, which then allow the carbs to be digested more slowly.

Talking with Docs suggests lower your fat intake because it is the consumed fat that is 'clogging' (my word not theirs) the liver and the pancreas that is messing up with the sugar in your blood.

Has anyone tried either of these suggestions?

Did you notice any difference?

Other thoughts?

SafariGalNYC

hmm… haven’t heard of these theories.. but the tried and true low carb, low glycemic approach has worked for me.

cmriverside

nm, not interested in defending my stance. Debate is even more drama than YouTube!

COGypsy

I don’t click links, but I would need to see some SERIOUS peer review on those claims. The descriptions provided don’t make biological sense according to my memory of years of A&P in college. I’m sure they are great for selling by books, supplements, and exclusive memberships to their YouTube subscribers, though.

Corina1143

Low fat was the thing in the late 1960s and 70s. Some people are stuck in it.

Low carb is the more current idea.

I have had three 2nd party experiences. My mom completely cured her type 2 diabetes by losing 20 pounds. She also lost her strong desire for extra sweet foods as a side effect. The Doctor who told her to lose weight told her she wasn't permanently cured. If she gained the weight back, the diabetes would be back. If she didn't gain the weight back, the diabetes would creep back, and she would need to lose a few more pounds in a few years.

Both my uncle by marriage and his mom had adult onset diabetes. Both were very thin, had no weight to lose. Both eventually died of complications of diabetes.

Sure skewed my idea of what causes and what cures t2d.

yakkystuff

Recently heard some additional descriptors on a show (don't remember which in particular.)

Some are familiar

• Type 1 (often childhood onset, pancreas fails to produce insulin, insulin dependant.)
• Type 2 adult onset historically, but seeing earlier/younger, increased rates of onset. Can be responsive to weight loss with food and exercise management, especially in early stage.
• New group descriptor Type 3 - same or similar of Type 2 - has evolved with alzheimers type dementia characteristics now being called type 3.

• Gestational (can't remember the #) onset during pregnancy, typically remission post-partum.

• New group descriptor type 5 - adult onset, not overweight - so not responsive to weight loss.

• Possible group -Looking at diabetes risk in the womb (can't remember the number.) - trigger to possibly turn on gene risk factors - related to when mom has gestational diabetes.

Upshot - summary conclusion - there are a number of pathways into a variety of "diabetes/metabolic syndrome complex/many co-morbid disease processes.

Tldr - On a personal/familial note - Mom was told her type 2 had turned to type 1 after a time on insulin when she had some test and became completely insulin dependent. Developed a multitude of co-morbid, progressive disease. terrible.

The advice she received evolved through the decades after her initial diagnosis in the mid-80s - they started her on the diabetic food exchange system with oral meds. She continued to get progressively worse - despite doing super low fat in the 90s, the glycemic index after that, then lower carb in the last decade but by then, was already permanently insulin dependent, so it was more a matter of matching her carbs to her meds.

I suspect a lower carb, perhaps a keto approach would have been more beneficial, but we'll never know - She did not have a clone for the comparison.

Imho, it is utterly worth doing everything healthy possible to improve symptoms and delay progression.

I hope someday, they figure out how to cure.

Ps - she was also given the advice to eat her carbs last. But tbh, not sure it matters in any significant way - the stomach churns as it digests food... and fast acting carbs like juice or candy raise blood glucose quickly.

paperpudding

Mom was told her type 2 had turned to type 1 after a time on insulin when she had some test and became completely insulin dependent.

Ive not heard of type 2 turning into type 1 - however it is relatively common that type 2 progresses from being tablet controlled to also needing insulin. it is still type 2 though

Because it is type 2, those patients are often on tablets and insulin - whereas type 1 is only on insulin.

yakkystuff

Thanks @paperpudding - made me curious found a nice explanation this article.

I suspect that is how doctor stated it - to be easy to understand and, perhaps ought to have said - you are now totally insulin dependant 'like' a type 1 diabetic.

Either way, she was completely insulin dependant due to beta cell failure.

paperpudding

yes I think that is likely yakkystuff.

that is a good article, explains well in layman's terms

Alatariel75

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/comment/48675152#Comment_48675152

My husband was a type 3C diabetic - insulin dependant, basically the same as a type 1 in terms of results and treatment, but due to damage to the pancreas from chronic pancreatitis.

yakkystuff

Nods... it is all so devastating. Mom ended up insulin dependant and type 3 with dementia as well. Just heart breaking.

(Edit note re following - maybe 4 or 5 years ago - this is what I heard on a show - don't know beyond that... /end edit comment.)

Another show I watched, a few years ago, had a researcher on who talked about the brain, meds and the blood brain barrier.

News to me was they were discovering that:

• the brain has a blood barrier - its job is to block harmful things from reaching the brain.
• but, the brain blood barrier also seems to prevent the diabetes meds (which reduce high blood glucose) from reaching the brain too.
• So if a person is running high blood glucose in the body and using meds to lower it, the meds bring down the high blood glucose throughout the rest of the body, but NOT in the brain - which -
• she said may be why some go on to have dementia even though they seem to have good control from the meds.

She also noted:

• the brain has it's own, separate system to regulate blood glucose
• that does seem to be responsive to food and exercise so...
• for that factor particularly, food and exercise may help reduce the risk of diabetes related dementia where the meds aren't making it through the protective blood brain barrier.
• — no idea what that means? Does the brain then regulate within the brain even when there is no insulin from the pancreas? The discussion did not go beyond what I described here except the next part about what to do personally...

Must say, the blood brain barrier was new to me info that blew my mind.

Upshot - Her recommendations practically speaking, to help our body are:

• Manage/eat lower carb, and healthy type foods (all the usual diabetes food recommendations), and important,
• the regular exercise - and exercise/walk after eating might help.

age_is_just_a_number

Thank you for this discussion. Sorry to hear so many MFPers have lost loved ones to diabetes.

It seems to me, generally speaking, eating a well balanced diet filled with vegetables, whole grains and protein and daily exercise will lead to weight management and less illness.