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Originally Posted by jyl
I keep reading about remarkable success stories where people reverse early stage diabetes through major weight loss. Any thoughts?
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Free fatty acids (FFA's) are one of the principle mechanisms of decreasing insulin sensitivity. Obesity is associated with elevated circulating FFA's which can be reduced with weight loss.
While we perceive glucose to be toxic to tissues at higher levels, it turns out FFA's are more toxic to cells and elevated FFA's in tissues will shut off glucose utilization to avoid FFA induced cell damage. Your body is trading a more immediate danger (FFA toxicity) for a more latent danger (glucose toxicity).
Type II diabetes is best thought of as an energy storage disorder. A disorder that has a significant genetic component making some individuals highly sensitive to even small increases in body fat stores such that only a few pounds of extra weight can trigger its development.