What is Insulin?

Insulin is a molecule that allows glucose, or blood sugar, to be transported from the blood to the cells. An inability to secrete insulin, as in juvenile-onset diabetes, drastically increases glucose levels in the bloodstream (hyperglycemia). Prolonged high levels of blood glucose can translate to complications such as cataracts, kidney damage, impaired wound healing and atherosclerotic lesions.

Some people don't secrete enough insulin to drive glucose into their cells, so their bodies secrete even more to compensate. Essentially, their cells don't respond to the insulin "signal" to let glucose in. This condition, called insulin resistance, and its resulting higher insulin levels, called hyperinsulinemia, are not without their costs.

Types of insulin

Types of insulin differ with respect to their source, how fast they begin to act, and how long their effect persists. Today most people use synthetic brands of insulin, such as Humulin and Novolin, which are identical to natural human insulin. Older insulin brands such as Iletin are extracted from the pancreases of cattle or pigs and differ slightly from human insulin, making them more likely than synthetic types to cause side effects such as skin rash and fat deposits under the skin.

With Supplements - Beneficial:
The medication may deplete or interfere with the absorption or function of the nutrient -DHEA. Taking these nutrients may help replenish them.
Taking these supplements may support or otherwise help your medication work better -Biotin, Chromium, Fenugreek, Vitamin E.

With Supplements - Avoid:
Avoid these supplements when taking this medication because taking them together may cause undesirable or dangerous results -Chromium*, Gymnema sylvestre*, Tobacco
An asterisk (*) next to an item in the summary indicates that the interaction is supported only by weak, fragmentary, and/or contradictory scientific evidence.

Important note about Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA)
Insulin has been shown to decrease the levels of DHEA and DHEA-sulfate in the blood. 1 More research is needed to determine the significance of this finding.

With Herbs
Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum)
In a controlled study of patients with type 1 diabetes, fenugreek (100 grams per day for ten days) was reported to reduce blood sugar, urinary sugar excretion, serum cholesterol, and triglycerides, with no change in insulin levels. 2 In a controlled study of people with type 2 diabetes, fenugreek (25 grams per day for 24 weeks) was reported to significantly reduce blood glucose levels. 3 People using insulin should talk with their prescribing doctor before incorporating large amounts of fenugreek into their diet.

Gymnema sylvestre
Although no interactions have been reported, gymnema may decrease the required daily dose of insulin. 4 Therefore, people currently using insulin for the treatment of diabetes should discuss the use of this herb with their healthcare professional.

With Foods and Other Compound
Food
Diet is an important factor in effective diabetes prevention and treatment. People using insulin should monitor their blood sugar carefully and talk with their doctor about the role of diet in diabetes control.

Alcohol
Alcohol may increase the action of insulin, leading to hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). 5 People using insulin should avoid alcohol.

Tobacco ( Nicotiana species)
Smoking may decrease insulin activity, 6 and it compounds the health problems associated with diabetes. People using insulin are cautioned to avoid smoking.

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(The following caption and table are from Mendosa.com)
On the table below I have included links to allow visitors to simulate examples of some diabetes cases using the various listed insulin preparations

sulin resistance is an impaired metabolic response to our body's own insulin so that active muscle cells cannot take up glucose as easily as they should. In that situation, the blood insulin levels are chronically higher which inhibits our fat cells from giving up their energy stores to let us lose weight. This disorder is associated with obesity, hypertension, abnormal triglycerides, glucose intolerance (syndrome 'X") and Type 2 diabetes mellitus. Many women with polycystic ovaries have this as well as women who have gestational diabetes in pregnancy. Up to 50% of patients with hypertension are estimated to have insulin resistance. The main problem is that this condition can exist unrecognized and metabolic damage can occur before a full blown Type 2 diabetes is finally diagnosed. Insulin resistant diabetics are 2-5 times more likely to die from heart attack or stroke than are non diabetics.

What are risk factors for insulin resistance?
Many of the risk factors are the same as they are for developing diabetes. Women who are overweight, especially with central obesity, a strong family history of diabetes, a history of gestational diabetes in pregnancy, hypertension, women with dyslipidemia especially having low HDL cholesterol and high triglycerides, and women with polycystic ovary syndrome. Another strong predictor is a skin change called acanthosis nigricans which is a velvety, mossy, flat warty-like, darkened skin change occurring at the neck, the armpits (axillae) and underneath the breasts. Almost 90% of women with these skin changes have insulin resisitance. Additionally, insulin resistance may be worsened by reduced physicial activity, aging, tobacco smoking, or drugs such as diuretics, certain anti-hypertensives, or steroids.

Medications such as metformin (Glucophage®), troglitazone (Rezulin®), and acarbose (Precose®), alone or in combination, have been used to improve insulin sensitivity mainly by reducing plasma glucose by different mechanisms. All of these treatments can be employed to prevent the development of Type 2 diabetes.