Difference between Insulin Resistant and Type II Diabetes..?

~SMyrtle~ · 09-05-2006, 12:36 AM

Hi everyone. I was wondering if you could explain to me the difference between the two. I have yet to be diagonist with anything but I'm scared that I might have it. I am 17 years old and overweight, but I am no where near obese. Is it very likely to have type II diabetes at this age??

Thanks everyone!

ajhyer · 09-06-2006, 01:25 AM

Here is how it was explained to me. With IR (Insulin Resistance) your body makes the insulin, but it your cells have become desensitized to it and thus it does not "absorb" the sugars in your blood. This causes your brain to think you need more insulin and it just keeps making more and more. So you are overloaded with insulin. With diabetes your body doesn't produce enough insulin for your body, sometimes none at all. Thus your blood sugars go up and up.

I hope this makes sense and someone else can fill in any gaps I may have missed!

sparks · 09-06-2006, 02:18 AM

ajhyer, you're on the right track. The simplified version is diabetes either your body doesn't make enough insulin (Type I or juvenile onset), so the cells don't get the glucose (sugar) they need and that makes blood sugars high. Type 2 or adult onset diabetes is high blood sugar caused by cells not being sensitive enough to the insulin the body is producing (which is usually enough if the cells didn't have the resistance).

Insulin resistance means your blood sugars are at normal levels, but it takes more insulin to get the glucose into the cells because of increased resistance. As my OB/Gyn explained to me, even though my insulin levels were in the normal range according to the lab reports, my ratio of blood glucose to insulin was high, therefore I am insulin resistant.

Hope this helps!