#1 - Insulin makes cells DEAF!

*I know it's been several days since my last post, and I feel like apologizing for not writing sooner, but things in my life are very dynamic, which makes it hard to be in control of everything. I don't want to bore you with apologies all the time, so just take for granted I am apologizing every time I publish a new blog post.  Thanks!*

INSULIN MAKES CELLS DEAF!

Today I'd like to share some knowledge about the role of INSULIN.  Insulin is a great hormone that enables us to stay alive.  We do not need to source it from a food or a pill, as our super-smart body makes it on its own, in response to the foods we eat, particularly CARBOHYDRATES.  

What are Carbohydrates?

Carbohydrates are foods that, once we eat them, they turn into a substance called GLUCOSE, which is essentially, sugar.  Carbohydrates are in many foods we commonly eat, such as rice, grains, flour, table sugar, fruits, and even in vegetables and many others.  Carbohydrates, depending on their composition, are digested more quickly or more slowly.  But they all turn into glucose.

Once we ingest carbohydrates, they begin to be digested.  The process of digestion begins in the mouth, with the addition of enzymes.  In the case of some carbohydrates that are very easy to break down (digest), glucose in our blood begins increasing even as the food is still in our mouth.  The increase of glucose in our blood sends a signal to our brain and pancreas to begin producing INSULIN. 

The purpose of producing insulin when the glucose level in our blood increases, is to signal our CELLS to open up, kind of like a Pac-Man, and eat the glucose that's circulating in our blood.  That is one of the key processes by which we stay alive; our cells eat glucose for energy, so they can continue to carry out their functions. 

So the main message here is that Carbohydrates are good folks and Insulin is good for us.  But there's another important thing to know:

Carbohydrates AND Insulin are the main reasons so many of us are overweight or obese, out of energy, sick, and some of us even dying.   

The beautiful contribution that Carbohydrates are meant to make to our bodies has become WARPED.  Warped by the way they are processed at the time of their preparation, the amounts we eat, the combinations we make...  The 'warpness' of their contribution lies in how quickly they are absorbed,  how much of them is absorbed and turned to glucose, and as a result, how much INSULIN our body makes in response to their ingestion. 

Over time, as a natural (warped) response of its own to warped carbohydrates, or as a consequence of genetic information passed on by close relatives, our bodies have a tendency to start making TOO MUCH insulin in response to the carbohydrate we ingest.  It seems like that would be a good thing, doesn't it?  Lots of glucose in the blood, and lots of insulin signaling the cells to open up their little mouths and eat up!  

Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way.  Too much insulin causes the cells to go DEAF!  They become unable to hear the call of insulin to open up and eat!  So they... eh... they just DON'T.  They don't eat.   And this is where it all begins... When your cells don't eat up all that glucose floating around aimlessly in your blood because they are deaf to the call of insulin, you end up with HIGH BLOOD GLUCOSE.  Yes, this is the 'blood sugar' that diabetics must measure regularly with their meter. 

If you are HYPERINSULINEMIC (the levels of insulin in your blood are too high), PRE-DIABETIC, or have TYPE 2 DIABETES, you have TOO MUCH insulin in your body, TOO MUCH GLUCOSE in your blood, AND the little guys that really need the GLUCOSE to stay alive, your CELLS, are STARVING!!  Remember my previous post?  This is why my cells did not have enough fuel. 

That's enough for today... Next time, I will share additional information on the effects of TOO MUCH INSULIN on one's body. 

Thank you for reading!

With Love, 

Marlene Erdman

PLEASE NOTE:  The explanations above are simplified for the purpose of making them easy to understand.  If you are a super-wow biochemist, you will notice the over-simplification, but there's no need to worry.  I am just trying to share just the right amount of knowledge for others to understand how they can take charge of their health as it relates to the subject of Type 2 Diabetes and surrounding issues.