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Honored Contributor
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Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Some interesting diabetes facts I learned today.

First diabetes class today - FBS for a non insulin diabetic should be 75 to 90. That is their goal for us. I've been in the 120 range for years and even now with metformin for a month and really watching my diet - I am still hanging there. I asked what the goal is for us as far as fat grams per day and carbs per day but I was told that isn't how we will be doing our eating plan, so I guess I'll find out when I find out. We don't meet the dietitian until thursday.She was explaining about why we gain weight when we have type 2 diabetes - you do not use your insulin properly so your brain keeps telling your pancreas to put out more insulin and more insulin and the pancreas complys. Finally there is so much insulin that it does lower the blood sugar but there is way too much and insulin is a growth hormone so we make fat to store that precious insulin and then it deposits somewhere between our waist and our knees. Our liver is a very efficient fat making and insulin storing organ. So, she said, not to berate ourselves for putting on weight as a prediabetic or diabetic - we can't help it. First the glucose has to get under control , then the weight can come off.

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Re: Some interesting diabetes facts I learned today.

Trusted Contributor
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Re: Some interesting diabetes facts I learned today.

I found your information to be both interesting and beneficial. I hope you will post more after you meet with the dietitian on Thursday and then again as you progress through your course. I’ll check back and hope to learn right along with you, if you would be so kind to share your information with others.

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Honored Contributor
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Re: Some interesting diabetes facts I learned today.

@151949

You're in the right track, but we don't "make" fat.

We eat fat.

Remove the dietary fat & the insulin will do its job more effectively.

 

There are a million analogies how insulin works, but this might be the best.  I'm reading a book by Dr. Michael Greger of nutritionfacts.org.

 

The 'door' is to your muscle cells.

The muscle cells invites the insulin to come in.

Insulin is the 'key' to the door.

We eat food & glucose come knocking on the door, but the 'lock' is jammed.   This is called insulin resistance.

 

What is 'jamming the lock'?  Dietary fat inside your muscle cells.

As long as that lock is jammed, blood sugars will continue run around in the bloodstream...and continue to knock on the door with being let in.  More & more insulin needs to be taken to remove the jam.  

 

And and cycle continues over & over again. 

 

Remove the dietary fat to 10-15% of your total calories & less & less, if not all, insulin will be needed. 

Honored Contributor
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Re: Some interesting diabetes facts I learned today.

I am an RN but have been retired for 8 years - so much changes with this disease all the time - new meds and different standards it seems every year. I was blown away by the newest - FBS is supposed to be 75 to 90. Honestly , it seems it is an almost impossible goal but i am going to give it a fair try. 

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Re: Some interesting diabetes facts I learned today.

[ Edited ]

@sidsmom wrote:

@151949

You're in the right track, but we don't "make" fat.

We eat fat.

Remove the dietary fat & the insulin will do its job more effectively.

 

There are a million analogies how insulin works, but this might be the best.  I'm reading a book by Dr. Michael Greger of nutritionfacts.org.

 

The 'door' is to your muscle cells.

The muscle cells invites the insulin to come in.

Insulin is the 'key' to the door.

We eat food & glucose come knocking on the door, but the 'lock' is jammed.   This is called insulin resistance.

 

What is 'jamming the lock'?  Dietary fat inside your muscle cells.

As long as that lock is jammed, blood sugars will continue run around in the bloodstream...and continue to knock on the door with being let in.  More & more insulin needs to be taken to remove the jam.  

 

And and cycle continues over & over again. 

 

Remove the dietary fat to 10-15% of your total calories & less & less, if not all, insulin will be needed. 


It isn't just muscle that requires glucose - your entire body uses glucose to function, just like the whole body requires oxygen. In a type 2 diabetic we have all the insulin we need but we are not able to use it. We don't need to "take " insulin we need to use medication , diet and exercise to reduce the resistance to it. In type 1 diabetics they actually are not producing insulin and thus they need to actually use insulin injections. There are no type 1 diabetics in my class so we probably won't discuss that much as it doesn't apply to any of us. If it were as simple as reducing fat intake I would not be a diabetic because I already only eat 40gm a day - that is not all there is to controlling this disease.

Honored Contributor
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Re: Some interesting diabetes facts I learned today.

[ Edited ]

This is a good explanation of the cause of diabetes.

 

http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-causes-diabetes/

 

It depends on the TYPE of fat.  Saturated fat found in animal products is harmful within a diet, especially a diabetic diet.  40 grams....unless you're consuming close to 3,000 total calories per day, 40 grams of fat is way too high.  

 

Remove the the dietary fat & less & less, if not all, insulin will be used.

 

Note: Responses are for Type 2 Diabetes discussion.   

Honored Contributor
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Re: Some interesting diabetes facts I learned today.


@sidsmom wrote:

This is a good explanation of the cause of diabetes.

 

http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-causes-diabetes/

 

It depends on the TYPE of fat.  Saturated fat found in animal products is harmful within a diet, especially a diabetic diet.  40 grams....unless you're consuming close to 3,000 total calories per day, 40 grams of fat is way too high.  

 

Remove the the dietary fat & less & less, if not all, insulin will be used.

 

Note: Responses are for Type 2 Diabetes discussion.   


@sidsmom--i looked at the link (was so suprised that cinamon=no good).  Lots of great info, i bookmarked it.  

 

Anyways, I have cut most (olive) oil out of my diet.  (You kept saying how bad it was for our endothelium system.)  I thought it was supposed to be an important part of our diet (mediteranean).  Then I realized all my (Italian born) side of family suffers/suffered from heart disease/conditions.  All of them in one form or another!

 

So, when you choose to *dress* a salad, what do you do?  (I don't mind plain salads, but prefer *something* as a dressing.)

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Re: Some interesting diabetes facts I learned today.

Honored Contributor
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Re: Some interesting diabetes facts I learned today.

Sidsmom theories aside - todays class was about meds. Some signal the pancreas to send out insulin, metformin tells the liver to not send out any glucose, one Actos, makes you rreadsorb the glucose after eating - and has side effects including that it can cause significant weight gain, and some replace the GLP1 hormone that is missing in a type 2 diabetic, and the newest thing out there is the class of drugs that works in the kidneys to get rid of glucose in the urine.Since we do not have any insulin using diabetics in our class she did not discuss insulin past to say that insulins are a natural hormone in the body and all the other drugs are chemicals so really the insulin is healthier.  She did say that almost all type 2 diabetics these days are on metformin alone or a combo drug of metformin and some other drug.She also said metformin is called the longevity drug and that people who take it tend to live to be very old.