There’s the old saying ‘the proof is in the pudding’ and when it comes to why there is an alarming amount of people with Type 2 diabetes in North America, then it’s an appropriate one. Diet and lifestyle choices are a large part of the reason for why people elsewhere in the world don’t develop Type 2 diabetes as often as we do, but the truth is anyone can be born with more of a predisposition for getting it. Insulin function is important for keeping blood sugar levels in check, and many patients will take Rybelsus to add to the effectiveness of insulin. Keep in mind though that not all diabetics will need to take insulin.
It is best to identify and begin treatment for Type 2 diabetes when a person is prediabetic, meaning they are beginning to have diabetes symptoms but the disease isn’t fully developed yet. With major diet and lifestyle changes prediabetes can be reversed for some people, but even if not reversed entirely it may mean they can manage their blood sugar without insulin once they become Type 2 diabetic. Their natural insulin function and insulin levels can be managed with oral medication and ongoing diet and lifestyle changes to move toward a healthy body weight.
In that way being proactive about avoiding hypertension and all the other health complications from diabetes is even more big-picture beneficial. By getting your weight down, you’ll promote more of your body’s own natural insulin production. Once this happens, you’ll feel and look better and have more energy to do the things you enjoy doing.
The effects of insulin production for diabetics are entirely in how insulin function is improved simply by more insulin being more effective in telling the body that excess glucose is to go to the liver and not into the bloodstream. But let’s look at insulin function in more detail here as well as explain why insulin levels are important even if you never have reason to think of them.
Right behind the stomach is the pancreas, and among the responsibilities for this gland is the production of insulin. Nearly everything you eat is going to be providing you with blood glucose as it’s digested, and having that glucose made available for energy is what insulin does. When there’s not enough insulin produced naturally then more of the glucose isn’t used for energy and ends up staying in the bloodstream. Have that be the reality for an extended time and this is when the prospect of developing diabetes becomes possible.
Having a healthy small intestine is also important for this process to occur as it should, and the small intestine lining. This is where the glucose is absorbed from the digestive track after carbohydrates are broken down and then moved into the bloodstream. Enough insulin needs to be present then for the right amount of glucose, which isn’t going to be used for energy then goes to the liver for storage. That’s the basics of insulin function but it is also important to understand the difference between Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes as it relates to insulin levels.
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease while Type 2 diabetes is something that is developed because of triggering factors and / or a genetic predisposition for it. Insulin function is the same for anyone, but what happens with Type 1 diabetes is when the body can’t make insulin as it is needed to. With Type 2 diabetes, the body has become resistant to insulin and therefore needs more of it to achieve a reasonable level of blood sugar control.
There are also different types of insulin, and certain insulin medication complements like Rybelsus will only be indicated for people with Type 2 diabetes. Most of them will take a fast or rapid acting insulin that is designed to bring blood sugar levels down quickly after having a meal, but nowadays there is also inhaled insulin which is the best choice for anyone who’s uneasy about needles and having injections. Another advantage to an insulin inhaler for some people is that they don’t cause weight gain quite the way injected insulin does.
Other types that will provide much the same insulin function but just at slower release rate are intermediate acting and long-acting insulin levels. Some people will have factors that keep their blood glucose levels up throughout the day and these people will take one of these types of insulin. It’s always going to be your doctor who should be determining what type of insulin is best for you, but the best thing you can do is try to reverse diabetes before you get to the point you need it.