Thu, Apr-16-09, 04:32
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Senior Member
Posts: 997
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Plan: high fat paleo
Stats: 238/215/165
BF:yes
Progress: 32%
Location: UK
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How high insulin increases the risk of hypoglycemia
Quote:
Pinpointing Role Of Insulin On Glucagon Levels
ScienceDaily (Apr. 14, 2009) — Researchers at the Joslin Diabetes Center have shown for the first time that insulin plays a key role in suppressing levels of glucagon, a hormone involved in carbohydrate metabolism and regulating blood glucose levels.
... Produced by the alpha cells in the pancreas, glucagon acts on the liver to help raise blood glucose when it becomes low. It has the opposite effect on the liver as insulin, which is released from pancreatic beta cells to lower blood glucose when it is high. In a healthy individual, the two counter each other to keep blood glucose levels balanced. In individuals with long-standing type 1 or type 2 diabetes, inappropriate glucagon secretion can increase the chances of hypoglycemia (low blood glucose levels) and can interfere with insulin therapy.
... In addition, the research may also help in the understanding of why patients with type 1 diabetes in particular, who are required to inject insulin on a regular basis, are at risk for hypoglycemia. It was thought that this increased risk was linked in some way to insulin receptors in the alpha cells, an idea that today's study suggests is in fact the case, Dr. Kulkarni explained.
"This gives us some insight into the cause of hypoglycemia, the most common complication in patients with type 1 diabetes," he said. "Injecting insulin leads to a decrease in blood glucose. If it starts to go too low, glucagon normally kicks in to prevent hypoglycemia. But, what happens in diabetes is the alpha cells become desensitized by repeated insulin injections over many years and they start to behave abnormally. We believe this is linked to insulin receptor function."
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Full article at http://www.sciencedaily.com/release...90407130910.htm
I'm thinking that if repeatedly injecting insulin causes an impairment of glucagon's function in preventing hypoglycemia, would chronic high insulin levels or repeated insulin spikes have the same effect? |
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