Type 1 Diabetes And Insulin Resistance: 4 Things You Didn't Know About Double Diabetes

Diabetes is a disease characterized by high levels of glucose, a type of sugar, in the blood. The two most common subtypes of diabetes are type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Type 1 diabetes generally emerges early on in life and develops due to autoimmunity — the immune system attacking cells that produce insulin, the hormone responsible for metabolizing glucose). Type 2 diabetes emerges later on in life due to insulin resistance, in which cells are no longer sensitive to the effects of insulin, leading to high blood glucose levels. The development of type 2 diabetes is closely connected to obesity and weight.

1. So, how do people with type 1 diabetes develop insulin resistance?

People with type 1 diabetes can develop insulin resistance much like the rest of the world can — by having the risk factors associated with type 2 diabetes. These include:

• Obesity. 85 percent of people with type 2 diabetes are obese. While it is not understood exactly why obesity leads to type 2 diabetes, researchers believe it is likely due to the fact that fat tissue releases compounds that make the body resistant to insulin.
• Sedentary lifestyle. People who lead to a non-active and sedentary lifestyle are more likely to develop insulin resistance.

2. How is 'double diabetes' treated?

While it is not possible for a patient to be diagnosed with both type 1 and type 2 diabetes, patients often fall into this middle area, such as those with double diabetes. A diagnosis of double diabetes comes with unique complications regarding treatment. Generally, patients with double diabetes will need to take their insulin every day, as they still have to treat their type 1 diabetes.

In order to treat their insulin resistance, they have to make changes to their lifestyle where lifestyle factors can be modified — just like patients with type 2 diabetes do. Lifestyle changes help cells become more sensitive to the effects of insulin and therefore combat insulin resistance. This can allow patients to reduce the amount of insulin they are taking gradually. These are the lifestyle changes you can make to reduce insulin resistance:

• Healthy, balanced diet. Incorporate more foods into your diet that have low carbohydrate content and high fiber content. As carbohydrates are converted into sugar, redudicing your carbohydrate intake will lower your blood glucose levels.
• Exercise. It is extremely important to exercise in order to combat insulin resistance as the act of exercising actually encourages cells to absorb the glucose in the body, thus lowering your blood sugar levels and making cells more sensitive to the effects of insulin.
• Weight loss. Studies have shown that just losing five to seven percent of your body weight can combat insulin resistance and normalize your blood glucose levels. Since people with double diabetes have type 1 diabetes, weight loss alone is not going to normalize your blood levels but it will allow your cells to be more sensitive to insulin and allow you to have a lower dose of insulin.
• Medication. While most doctors prefer that patients try to combat insulin resistance through lifestyle changes, as that has been shown to be highly effective, there are some medications can be used for treating insulin resistance. Your doctor will only prescribe them if your blood sugar levels continue to be higher despite lifestyle modifications — or in cases where you are already leading a healthy lifestyle.
• Monitor your blood glucose levels. If you find that your blood glucose levels are not stabilizing, go see your doctor immediately as uncontrolled blood glucose is associated with a variety of complications.

3. Progression: What can you expect from double diabetes over time?

Double diabetes, similar to other types of diabetes, can become significantly more severe over time if it remains untreated. With the progression of untreated double diabetes (due to a lack of lifestyle changes), patients can develop serious complications that require an even higher dose of insulin. Higher doses of insulin, in turn, promote further weight gain, increase the body’s insulin resistance and lead to a need for more insulin. Hence, it is a self-perpetuating cycle.

4. Prognosis

Patients with type 1 diabetes alone are at a higher risk of several complications. The addition of insulin resistance increases the risk of the same complications, and adds other problems on top of that due to the underlying obesity and weight gain. Patients with double diabetes are at a much higher risk for:

• Cardiovascular problems (heart attack)
• Stroke
• Kidney disease
• Eye problems
• Foot amputations

However, as long as your blood glucose are under control with a mixture of insulin and lifestyle changes, you should be able to live and a healthy life. It is absolutely vital to constantly be monitoring your blood sugar levels and make changes accordingly.