Originally Posted by
eja_ bottecchia
Hi Jdom, with type-2 diabetics the body's cells become increasingly resistant to insulin. As a reaction to the body's increased resistance, the pancreas produces more and more insulin. But no matter how much insulin the pancreas produces, blood glucose levels continue to rise. After years of increased insulin production, the pancreas finally gives up and stops producing insulin altogether.
As a type-1 diabetic, your body is not insulin resistant like mine is. You need insulin because your pancreas does not make any (or makes very little, I am not sure on this point.)
My pancreas, on the other hand, makes insulin; my body just refuses to use the insulin I make to metabolize glucose. For some reason (and I am not sure that doctors quite know the reason) the cells in the bodies of type-2 diabetics become more and more insulin resistant. That is why I needed increased doses of insulin.
Exercise, especially aerobic exercise, has the ability to "unlock" certain cell receptors so that insulin can "get in" and glucose may be metabolized. For me, riding my bike (and a better diet) has enabled me to drastically lower my A1c numbers and to reduce the amount of insulin that I need to take.
I am fortunate to have a very good doctor who stayed with me even during my "denial" stage. If anyone is interested, PM (or email) me and I will give you her name.
BTW, as the days become shorter I will not be able to ride as many miles. Consequently, I will need to start doing more indoor training. If anyone has a recommendation for a good trainer (especially a fluid one) that will not break the bank, I would to hear from you.
Regards...
I'd go further and say that type 1 and type 2 diabetes are two different...probably very different...diseases. They present the same symptoms so they get the same label but they aren't really the same. Type 1 (insulin dependent) diabetics don't have the cells to produce insulin. Those cells were destroyed when their body's immune system attacked and destroyed them. Without treatment, the patient
will die, usually in a matter of days.
Type 2 diabetics still have the cells to produce insulin but those cells may not be producing enough or the insulin may be 'capped' by substances in the blood that render it unusable or the mechanism for utilizing it may be compromised. Type 2 diabetics may, and do, live for years with this condition untreated. Their health will probably be compromised but they won't die immediately.
As for reduced insulin usage, my wife (a long term type 1 diabetic) sees the same effect while bicycle riding. She has to set her basal rate on her pump to nearly zero. She actually saw the same effect when she was pregnant. I would suspect that the reason for this (not a doctor but...
) is that cycling mobilizes glycogen within the muscles to fuel them. Insulin is involved in the
making of glycogen but, once made, other mechanisms take over to utilize it. While exercising, you don't make a lot of glycogen (a fairly slow process) so insulin demand is lowered.
The storage issue...however slight now...is a nonissue if you use a Camelbak. We pack ours with ice at the beginning of each day, when possible. My wife stores her insulin in the main pocket of the Camelbak so that it's up against the cold bladder. If there's no ice available, she still store it there because the bags are insulated and even without ice the bladder will maintain a constant temperature which is usually lower than the surrounding air.