Insulin Resistance

Insulin Resistance

Many of our patients are type 2 diabetics and have insulin resistance.  We need insulin to get sugar or glucose in to our cells.  Our American lifestyle with high stress, refined sugars and starches, with a high intake of caffeine leaves our bodies in a metabolic mess.  Living this type of lifestyle causes the insulin receptor site on the cell to becomes less sensitive, not allowing sugar/glucose to get in body.  This creates a vicious cycle in the body.  The body begins to surge more insulin at high amounts to get sugar into the cell.  The receptor  sites on the cell become less and less sensitive to the insulin causing high blood sugar; then the body begins surging more insulin to get the job done and get that glucose into the cell.  I like to explain this process by using the analogy that the insulin receptor sites are like circuit breakers in your house, when the electricity is too high the circuit shuts down.  Too much insulin, it overloads the receptor sites and the have decreased sensitivity creating insulin resistance.