Insulin Resistance

Insulin resistance is when your muscle, fat and liver cells do not use insulin properly in your body. The pancreas tries to keep up with the demand for insulin by producing more.

Eventually, the pancreas cannot keep up with the body's need for insulin, and excess glucose builds up in the bloodstream. Many people with insulin resistance have high levels of blood glucose and high levels of insulin circulating in their blood at the same time.

If you have pre-diabetes, a condition where your blood glucose levels are higher than normal but not in the diabetic range, you have a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes, formerly called adult-onset diabetes or noninsulin-dependent diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes is sometimes defined as the form of diabetes that develops when the body does not respond properly to insulin, as opposed to type 1 diabetes, in which the pancreas makes no insulin at all.

Causes of Insulin Resistance

Excess weight contributes to insulin resistance because too much fat interferes with muscles' ability to use insulin. Lack of exercise further reduces muscles' ability to use insulin.

Many people with insulin resistance and high blood glucose have excess weight around the waist, high LDL blood cholesterol levels, low HDL cholesterol levels, high levels of triglycerides, and high blood pressure, all conditions that also put the heart at risk. This combination of problems is referred to as the metabolic syndrome, or the insulin resistance syndrome.

Determining If You Are Insulin Resistant

If you are overweight and aged 45 or older, it is strongly recommended that you get tested for diabetes. You should consider getting tested if you are younger than 45, overweight, and have one or more of the following risk factors:

• family history of diabetes
• low HDL cholesterol and high triglycerides
• high blood pressure
• history of gestational diabetes or gave birth to a baby weighing more than 9 pounds

How You Can Reverse Insulin Resistance

Physical activity and weight loss make the body respond better to insulin. By losing weight and being more physically active, you may avoid developing type 2 diabetes. The main goal in treating insulin resistance and pre-diabetes is to help your body relearn to use insulin normally. You can do several things to help reach this goal.

• Be Active and Eat Well - Physical activity helps your muscle cells use blood glucose because they need it for energy. Exercise makes those cells more sensitive to insulin.
• Weight - Body mass index (BMI) is a measure used to evaluate body weight relative to height. You can use BMI to find out whether you are underweight, normal weight, overweight, or obese.
• Cholesterol - Your cholesterol is usually reported with three values: low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, and total cholesterol. LDL cholesterol is sometimes called "bad" cholesterol, while HDL cholesterol is called "good" cholesterol. To lower your risk of cardiovascular problems if you have diabetes, you should try to keep your LDL cholesterol below 100 and your total cholesterol below 200.
• Stop Smoking - In addition to increasing your risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease, smoking contributes to insulin resistance. Quitting smoking is not easy, but it could be the single smartest thing you can do to improve your health. You will reduce your risk for respiratory problems, lung cancer, and diabetes.

Niacin for Diabetics

Niacin is a potentially useful drug to improve diabetic dyslipidemia because it blocks fatty acid release from adipose tissue and decreases release of very­low-density lipoprotein. This latter effect reduces the number of small, dense LDL particles. In addition, niacin is considered the best drug to increase risk-reducing high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels.

Niacin helps in the regulation of blood sugar in people with hypoglycemia problems and gives all of us a greater ability to handle stress. People with diabetes often have high cholesterol and triglyceride levels. They also have low HDL levels. Niacin, a B vitamin, reduces concentrations of triglycerides and raises levels of HDL cholesterol.

Niacin can be useful in patients with high LDL and triglycerides and low HDL when used at high doses, but doctors have traditionally avoided its use in diabetics because of its effects on blood sugar levels.  Niacin does not appear to significantly change the blood sugar levels in diabetics. 

Natural Supplements For Type 2 Diabetes - Glucose M2

When used in conjunction with regular exercise and sound diet, Glucose M2 can provide you with an effective means to manage glucose in your body. Research has shown that the ingredients contained in this unique formula may be able to enhance carbohydrate metabolism and control fluctuating blood glucose (sugar) levels.

A few ingredients in Glucose M2 are:

• Magnesium - Magnesium plays an important role in carbohydrate metabolism. It may influence the release and activity of insulin, the hormone that helps control blood glucose levels. A lack of magnesium can affect insulin resistance.
• Chromium - Chromium may be helpful for moving glucose and other nutrients into the cells of the body more efficiently. Additionally, low chromium levels are linked to other areas of health. Low Chromium levels may be responsible for glucose tolerance and glucose levels in the blood and urine.
• Zinc - Low zinc levels reduce the body's abilities to synthesize and secrete insulin, and glucose.
• Bitter Melon Ext. - The blood sugar leveling action of the fresh juice or extract of the unripe fruit has been shown in both experimental and clinical studies. Bitter melon's many constituents contain several compounds with properties shown to promote healthy blood sugar levels.
• Gymnemna Sylvestris Ext. - Gymnemna is thought to promote insulin secretion, and several studies report that it does control blood sugar. Gymnemna assists the pancreas in the production of insulin. It may also decrease one's cravings for sweets.

For a complete list of ingredients Click Here.

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