Metabolic Disease:
Type 2 Diabetes

How can carbohydrate overfeeding drive metabolic disease?

“When we treat people with Type 2 diabetes, the focus is often on lowering blood sugar rather than preventing carbohydrate overfeeding, which is very common in our society,” said Nawfal Istfan of the Brigham’s Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Hypertension. “But our study shows that if overfeeding isn’t controlled, some of the traditional ways of treating diabetes, like giving patients more insulin to lower blood sugar, can potentially be more harmful.”

The researchers demonstrated that insulin, which lowers blood sugar by increasing its uptake by the cells, may contribute to metabolic distress when cells are unprepared to process such a large amount of carbohydrates. When an individual consumes carbohydrates in excess, cells break down the molecules and resynthesize them into fats through a “reduction” process that uses electrons. The researchers hypothesized that during fat synthesis, the cells may be “taking electrons away” from other metabolic activities, like the production of antioxidants, which are important molecules that help protect the body from deterioration.

Body’s ability to prevent cell damage hampered by excess carbs

What is the normal value for fasting insulin?

Abnormal fasting insulin may indicate metabolic disease before any hyperglycemia by years, yet there is still confusion about what a normal value is. Here is some of the latest thinking: @DietDoctor

Diabetes in a can