Can i become resistance to insulin?

[toffeemandave]

I was diagnosed with diabetes about 2009 or 2010 my consultant says my body may becoming resistant to insulin my bms are high they are roughly 17 to 21. So I was wondering if my body could become resistant to insulin.

 

[IanBish]

Yes, it certainly can. May people with type 2 are, including me. Many people find that losing fat (particularly visceral fat) and increasing lean muscle mass helps. There's more muscle to soak up the glucose, reducing the need for the pancreas to secrete high levels of insulin. Obviously, eating low carb helps too. There are many posts on here that you can refer to.

 

[HSSS]

I was diagnosed with diabetes about 2009 or 2010 my consultant says my body may becoming resistant to insulin my bms are high they are roughly 17 to 21. So I was wondering if my body could become resistant to insulin.

Type 2 fundamentally is about resistance to insulin in the vast majority of cases. You were likely resistant before you were even diagnosed. We all were, that’s how we end up type 2.

A metabolically healthy human makes insulin in response to blood glucose rising to help ensure it reaches the cells to be used as energy (simply speaking). The amounts are in balance. However as we head down the path towards T2 we are overcoming that resistance and preventing blood glucose rising by making more and more insulin to keep blood glucose levels normal. So we have lots of insulin circulating (unlike type 1 that have little to none). Unfortunately having a lot of circulating insulin also makes us more resistant to it (amongst other causes like genetics, excess weight, polycystic ovaries, gestational diabetes to name a few). So gradually, over time, the resistance grows, eventually to the point we can no longer make enough insulin to overcome it and our blood glucose rises despite the pancreas’ valiant efforts to keep up with growing demand and we end up diagnosed. And even after this point - unless we address the root causes - we need more and more (either our own or injected) to achieve the same results as the resistance increases. Hence why type 2 was considered progressive.

We now know that addressing, limiting and removing the causes of resistance can help. So that means stimulating the need for insulin less by consuming less glucose (otherwise known as carbohydrates), using more energy (exercise) where we can, losing weight especially around the belly etc all help turn the problem around.

Has diet and lifestyle been discussed with you if you are struggling to maintain levels even with insulin? It needs to be done with care and knowledge (to avoid the balance being thrown the opposite way and going low when on medication like insulin) but changing what you eat can make a huge difference to the levels you get and the amount of insulin you need to achieve that.