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Insulin resistance

SueJB

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,325
Location
Heaven
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
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cold weather
Is insulin resistance exactly what it says? I searched for it on the forums and found bits of info but it's a bit scatter shot. Anyone know anything about it LOL!!? Any informed sites? How do you know if you are resistant and what can you do about getting rid of it?

I watched a Youtube video about it given by Cyrus Khambatta and he seemed to be saying that LCHF was not the way but rather the opposite. Is he talking nonsense?

I've only been T1 for 14 months and thought I was getting to grips with it. I'm not.
 
Insulin Resistance is a great problem for those with Type 2 Diabetes but is uncommon among well managed T1s.
 
My rough take on it.
Your body can become resistant to insulin.
This means that you have to take more (either injected or created by your pancreas) to keep your BG at normal levels.

In some ways it reminds me of other drugs; many addictive drugs require more and more dosage for the same effect as you become acclimated.

Insulin Resistance can also be a vicious circle; you take more insulin for the same effect and this increases your Insulin Resistance so you have to take more insulin......

There are ways for most people to reduce their IR, however. Exercise builds muscle and makes the muscle more efficient. This enables muscle to use insulin more effectively (effectively IR has been reduced).

As I understand it fat in the tissues, and especially in the liver and pancreas, can increase insulin resistance. So anything that reduces fat in the organs can reduce IR. As far as I know this includes LCHF.
 
Hi all respect for the previous replies
Personally, I'm not sure about insulin resistance yet Why not be the problem in insulin itself So far there is no confirmation of this information
 
I would agree with Guzzler. Been type 1 for 36 years and worry if my basal insulin needs creep up as this would indicate resistance usually due to the same reasons that type 2 s get it (too many carbs, too much insulin).
However by definition type 2s are insulin resistant whereas a type 1 has no insulin and so is unlikely to develop resistance unless they are prone to weight gain particularly when eating lots of carbs plus taking insulin to cover them. As I said above if you find yourself increasing your basal rate and needing larger jeans even if your blood sugars are well controlled this would be a watch out sign. Also known as Double Diabetes!
 
If you're on insulin you can tell, to some extent, whether or not you are insulin resistant, by how much you need to take, relative to body weight.

People with T1D can be insulin resistant, but this is more likely if they have family members with Type 2. Which suggests that to at least some extent it's genetic.

There are things that can make people more insulin resistant, being overweight, poor diet, probably lack of exercise. I don't know if Cyrus Khambatta is right, or not.

We do tend to throw the phrase around in the Type 1 forum, as a way to describe a time of day when we are less insulin sensitive, but that isn't really insulin resistance, the reality for people with T2D is more serious, and is a more constant state.
 
HICHAM_T2 said:
Hi all respect for the previous replies
Personally, I'm not sure about insulin resistance yet Why not be the problem in insulin itself So far there is no confirmation of this information
Click to expand...

Maybe you could read up on the work of Dr. Joseph Kraft and Catherine Croft.
It is not the quality of insulin that is a problem it is the quantity that can become a problem.
 
Guzzler said:
Maybe you could read up on the work of Dr. Joseph Kraft and Catherine Croft.
It is not the quality of insulin that is a problem it is the quantity that can become a problem.
Click to expand...
I have not read yet but I will do later thanks for the information
 
Guzzler said:
Insulin Resistance is a great problem for those with Type 2 Diabetes but is uncommon among well managed T1s.
Click to expand...
Thanks @Guzzler, it's not what the man Cyrus Khambatta implied
 
HICHAM_T2 said:
Hi all respect for the previous replies
Personally, I'm not sure about insulin resistance yet Why not be the problem in insulin itself So far there is no confirmation of this information
Click to expand...
Thannks @HICHAM_T2 Not sure I'm with you though
 
Thanks @NicoleC1971 can I ask if insulin creep is the only possibility to show insulin resistance? Might it also be a sign of the end of that silly phrase "honeymoon period" when the pancreas is getting more and more stuffed?
Don't like the sound of double D
Well done you for winning for 38 years and thanks for the reply
 
Thanks @Alison54321 still not sure about what it is in real terms
 
Guzzler said:
Maybe you could read up on the work of Dr. Joseph Kraft and Catherine Croft.
It is not the quality of insulin that is a problem it is the quantity that can become a problem.
Click to expand...
Thanks @Guzzler I didn't think there was a problem with the quality of the insulin but I might have missed something in the thread. Thanks for the 2 authors, I'll give them a Google
 
SueJB said:
Thanks @Guzzler I didn't think there was a problem with the quality of the insulin but I might have missed something in the thread. Thanks for the 2 authors, I'll give them a Google
Click to expand...

The work of Dr. Kraft is specifically on Insulin Resistance and he developed a five hour 'Insulin Assay' which is not used. Ivor Cummins saved his work and data from being lost in the mists of time. There are a couple of interviews by Ivor with Kraft on Youtube if you are interested. Catherine Croft has been given access to a part of Kraft's data and is trying to develope a shorter test in her research.
 
SueJB said:
Thanks @Alison54321 still not sure about what it is in real terms
Click to expand...

It's when the body produces insulin but the cells are resistant, and therefore less sensitive to it, and the insulin receptors on the cells don't work properly, so the insulin isn't used effectively, and can just circulate, without being used.

How this happens, and what can be done, is a difficult question, because quite often those engaging in the debate have an agenda, and it's not always the most scientific of debates.
 

You may find the following 2 blogs relevant...
https://diabetesstrong.com/my-high-carb-low-fat-experiment-with-type-1-diabetes/

https://www.diabetesdaily.com/blog/2014/07/treating-diabetes-with-600-grams-of-carbohydrates-a-day/

Basically there's the vegan view that fats, specifically animal fats causes insulin resistance. So it is necessary to reduce to eliminate animal fats and proteins. It seems to work for some...but I have yet to see Cyrus and friends post their CGM data.

And the other view that it is the chronic excessive insulin that causes insulin resistance. Hence a low insulin lifestyle will help to restore both glucose/insulin levels and sensitivity. The law of small numbers. Small input, small errors. Low insulin levels allows access to fats in storage, hence improves insulin function.

Typeonegrit and others on low carb have no issue posting their flatline glucose charts...
 

Oh I’m so confused after reading that.
 
Hi there SueJB

Just a couple of things to think about. Have you done any basal testing recently? Ideally they recommend every 3 months, to check that your background levels are correct. If they are not, as soon as you add in carbs and food the mix, you'll then find highs and spikes as some of that bolus will actually be effectively bringing down your background glucose down. Secondly, can also depend on the time of day as a lot of people find they need a lot more insulin first thing in the morning, but also at other times of the day and this varies between people. This will then affect your insulin to carb ratio and again, the difference in a dose of say 1:15 to 1:8 can make a substantial difference. It's worth having a go at doing these 2 things (but 1 at a time and doing the basal testing for 2 weeks, just to make sure) then doing the carb ratio test, with a known amount of carbs, so you know the counting is correct. Good luck and as we all know, one day is never the bl**y same as the next, despite all of our many best efforts.
 
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