Progress on the T2 Hobby
I find it useful to have some distant goals, so that there's a general direction to taking the next step to get there. My purpose here is to articulate some of that direction and next steps.
There's a software development saying about writing code 'to the bare metal' - using the machine directly without intervening layers and abstractions. From that point of view, one goal is to liberate my body to do the work required to keep me alive and well. Several things from that:
"Being diabetic" means that the body is continually, and always, in the fed state. There is never a time when inadequate macros are present in the blood stream. Excess glucose causes glycation of fine cell tissues. That is a disease state, expressing as neuropathy, high values of HbA1c, and much much more. Excess protein is implicated in liver and kidney diseases. I'm certain there's others. Excess fat is implicated in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and beta cell failure. Not to mention various cardio unpleasantness.
This is long enough. It demonstrates why there needs to be a balance between the fed and the fasted states. And why T2 is evidence of that balance being way out of whack.
There's a software development saying about writing code 'to the bare metal' - using the machine directly without intervening layers and abstractions. From that point of view, one goal is to liberate my body to do the work required to keep me alive and well. Several things from that:
- T2 medications interfere with my ability to create, use and minimize insulin;
- There is a direct relationship between consuming macros and producing insulin;
- "Being diabetic" has implications for several disease states;
- Cellular metabolism is 'the bare metal' machine here, and that machine requires cleaning.
T2 is characterized, in a rather circular form, as a state of being insulin resistant. The radical idea here is that excess insulin causes insulin resistance. It's radical because the common treatment for T2 is to increase the amount of serum insulin within the body, for the purpose of clearing excess glucose. Adding more insulin to an insulin resistant body makes it more insulin resistant. Welcome to the drug increase hamster wheel.
The purpose of insulin is to store nutrients, excess and otherwise, into cells. Glucose for cellular energy uses, fats for cellular energy use, as well as fat storage for 'later' use. The human body will preferentially use available glucose, before available fat. This a key insight into why fasting is useful to resolve some obesity (and other) issues.
Having the body in a fed state causes an insulin response, depending on the quantity of macronutrients ('macros' in the literature) in the blood stream. The chart for how that response looks ...
There is a direct relationship between macros present and the need for insulin production. Where this chart shows "Blood Sugar", it could just as well show "Blood Insulin". Systems thinkers will recognize that there are different rate limited things going on here. One takeaway is that when the body is in a fed state, insulin is required to clear that state. The longer the body is exposed to insulin, the more insulin resistant it becomes.
Note that 'excess' protein is metabolized into BG, with excess being defined as any amount over that demanded by the cells for intracellular 'construction / demolition' work. The less construction work, the more BG. This is another insight into the utility of fasting.
"Being diabetic" means that the body is continually, and always, in the fed state. There is never a time when inadequate macros are present in the blood stream. Excess glucose causes glycation of fine cell tissues. That is a disease state, expressing as neuropathy, high values of HbA1c, and much much more. Excess protein is implicated in liver and kidney diseases. I'm certain there's others. Excess fat is implicated in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and beta cell failure. Not to mention various cardio unpleasantness.
This is long enough. It demonstrates why there needs to be a balance between the fed and the fasted states. And why T2 is evidence of that balance being way out of whack.
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