Insulin: Potential Negative Consequences of Early Routine Use in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes.
Over the years on many occasions people have said to me, why don't you eat the same as non diabetics and use insulin. Some comments or suggestions from people trying to be helpful and some from people who should know better, including healthcare professionals and fellow diabetics. One individual who considers himself a healthcare guru, went as far as to describe me and fellow lowcarbers as "carb cripples" I have always taken the view, I will use injected insulin only when I have no other choice. The day may come when I will have no other choice. If and when that day comes, I will keep insulin levels to the absolute minimum. I will stick with my lowcarb regime, to keep insulin levels very low. Don't get me wrong, insulin should not be feared, but it should be respected. There are many reasons for making my decision to delay injected insulin. Check out this paper for some of those reasons. Yet again low carb high fat proves to be the only sane option.
It would seem logical that the ideal treatment for type 2 diabetes should be early and continuing insulin therapy. Unfortunately, there are several characteristics of insulin treatment and insulin action in type 2 diabetes that limit the usefulness of insulin treatment and that suggest that chronic insulin therapy is best used in the later stages of diabetes when there is an absolute deficiency of insulin.
Starting insulin therapy early in the course of chronic treatment of patients with type 2 diabetes would imply that there are unique benefits to insulin treatment. As addressed above, there is little evidence to support such a view. Insulin treatment is neither durable in maintaining glycemic control nor is unique in preserving β-cells. Better clinical outcomes than those that occur with other antihyperglycemic regimens have not been shown. The downside of insulin therapy is the need to increase the dose and the regimen complexity with time, the increase in severe hypoglycemia, and the potential increase in mortality as well as the potential increased risk for specific cancers.
Full paper here.
Eddie
It would seem logical that the ideal treatment for type 2 diabetes should be early and continuing insulin therapy. Unfortunately, there are several characteristics of insulin treatment and insulin action in type 2 diabetes that limit the usefulness of insulin treatment and that suggest that chronic insulin therapy is best used in the later stages of diabetes when there is an absolute deficiency of insulin.
Starting insulin therapy early in the course of chronic treatment of patients with type 2 diabetes would imply that there are unique benefits to insulin treatment. As addressed above, there is little evidence to support such a view. Insulin treatment is neither durable in maintaining glycemic control nor is unique in preserving β-cells. Better clinical outcomes than those that occur with other antihyperglycemic regimens have not been shown. The downside of insulin therapy is the need to increase the dose and the regimen complexity with time, the increase in severe hypoglycemia, and the potential increase in mortality as well as the potential increased risk for specific cancers.
Full paper here.
Eddie
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