Diabetes Control: 4 Hidden Factors :

Have you ever felt the frustration of trying to do your best to control your blood glucose and still ended up with problematic high readings? As much as we would like to lump managing diabetes into simple recommendations to eat a certain way, exercise a certain amount and take diabetes medications if prescribed, there is clearly more to it.

With diabetes, many hidden undercurrents are silently at play affecting your glucose control around the clock. Shedding some light on these issues can help you better understand your diabetes and ultimately, gain better control of your health .

Insulin in short supply
If a person is affected by Type 1 diabetes, they have lost the ability to make insulin and are dependent on getting it from outside sources to replace what is no longer made by the body.

Type 2 diabetes is often seen as a disorder in which cells do not properly respond to insulin, a condition called insulin resistance. Although approximately 90 percent of people with Type 2 diabetes are insulin-resistant, there is more to the story.By the time a person with Type 2 diabetes is diagnosed, they may have already lost up to 50 percent of their ability to make enough insulin. This discovery has made it clear why some people with Type 2 diabetes, despite their best efforts, may require insulin in order to optimally manage their blood glucose.

Insulin is knocking but no one is home
It is insulin's job to open channels on the outside of each cell to allow glucose to enter inside so it can ultimately be used as energy to fuel the body. When insulin resistance is present, cells have difficulty processing glucose normally, even when extra insulin is present. Insulin resistance is most common in individuals with Type 2 diabetes, but can also occur with Type 1 diabetes, particularly if a person is overweight.

Although there are medications which can reduce insulin resistance, natural measures can have impressive effects as well. The most important of these include: exercise, lowering fat intake (particularly from solid or saturated fats) and reducing the intake of animal proteins by replacing them with plant-based proteins such as beans, peas, seeds or soy.

Hyperactive livers
If you have ever checked your glucose, not eaten a thing and re-checked a few hours later only to find your glucose level higher, you might have been left scratching your head, wondering if you really did eat something. Blood glucose comes from the foods we eat and it also comes from our livers too. In fact, in those with Type 2 diabetes, the liver actually over-produces glucose. Glucophage, a common medication for Type 2 diabetes, works in part to improve blood glucose levels by reducing the excessive output of glucose from the liver.

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