No. Diabetes lies in a problem with insulin. The patient may not be as sensitive to insulin. Or the patient may not produce enough insulin. Or it may be a combination of these problems.
Think of insulin as the mail carrier. Insulin carries glucose (sugar) in the blood to muscle and fat cells. Insulin knocks at the door of the cell and tells it to take the glucose. Without insulin, the cells never realize that glucose is there and will not take it in. So even if you have more muscle mass, that’s just more muscle that won’t realize glucose is available.
Your question leads me to think that you are working out more and building muscle. Exercise will actually increase your body’s sensitivity to insulin. So your muscle and fat cells will pay more attention to insulin if you exercise. That’s one of the reasons why diabetics or those at risk of developing diabetes are encouraged to exercise.
It helps in that it decreases the amount of insulin you need.
Muscles, when excercised regularly, produce a family of proteins that perform pretty much the same function as insulin. However, it can’t be relied on as proxy for insulin.
In types one and two, it “increases insulin sensitivity” to have more muscle mass, because a) the proteins that mediate glucose uptake to the muscle cells are made at a higher rate, which causes b) less insulin to be needed.
But still, check your BG 4-6x a day and take however many units of insulin you need to keep your BG in a healthy range! If you do that, you’re healthier than the average non-diabetic.
What it actually is is the following: Being overweight(having excess fat cells) inhibits insulin’s ability to get glucose into the cells where the cells use the glucose as energy to perform the cell’s functions(called insulin resistance!).
If a type 2 diabetic loses weight he/she may not need as much medication for their diabetes.
For about 2/3 of the body cells, insulin is required to take in glucose from the blood. In type 1 diabetes (what used to be called juvenile diabetes), the body doesn’t produce insulin anymore. It has to come from the outside or death is very very likely. And, of course, without insulin, the glood glucose level goes, and usually stays high.
In type 2 diabetes, those body cells stop (more or less) listening to the insulin. And if they[‘re not taking in glucose, there will be more in blood, and glucose levels will be high.
in non-diabetics, glucose is absorbed into cells and used for fuel. Two kinds of cells have internal storage for glucose they don’t need right now. One kind is liver cells and the other is muscle cells. Liver cells are a kind of temporary storage, and when blood glucose levels go down, they take some of the stored glucoses and put it back into the blood. Muscle cells don’t have the machinery to do that, so their stored glucose stays in the muscle cell until it’s used for fuel. When marathon runners carbo load, what they’re trying to do is get all the liver and muscle cells to take in as much glucose as possible, so they can use it during the race.
There is one exception to this need insulin to absorb glucose business. When muscles exercise, they can take in glucose more or less regardless of whether insulin is present. The effect is easily measurable and lasts for a few hours after the exercise stops. It’s one reason diabetics are told to exercise.
So, if you have lots of muscle mass, you can absorb more glucose than the 90 pound weakling on Muscle Beach. If you don’t eat much, eventually the liver’s stored glucose will be put into the blood and, especially when you exercise, will be absorbed into the muscle cells. If the liver was full, this will be something like 3/4 of a kilogram of glucose. But, if your glucose levels go down and even the liver’s storage can’t keep it up, your body will start making glucose itself, mostly from taking protein apart. A few of the amino acid building blocks in protein can be turned into glucose. The rest will be discarded into the blood and if there are enough the kidneys will start dumping them. And, one part of stored fat (just a small part) can be turned into glucose as well; the rest can’t.
So, to answer your question, more muscle mass will let you absorb more glucose than otherwise, BUT, the body is very committed to keeping glucose in the blood that even lots of muscle mass can’t git rid of all of it. And, if you’re diabetic with insulin problems of one kind or another, your muscles can’t take in glucose very well, unless you exercise. Even then, your muscles won’t be a ble to take in enough to get all the glucose.
Yes muscle mass helps, no it is not a substitute for insulin (type 1 diabetics and some type 2), nor for other medication (both types).
Getting buffed won’t make the diabetes or ist problems go away, and can’t really help all that much in any case. But he exercise you need to get the muscles will help. Don’t stop.
A warning! Steroid drugs have an unfortunate effect. They interfere with the insulin-glucose business, and long term use can and does cause diabetes. If you’re diabetic or becoming diabetic, don’t even consider it. Locker room legends are not very reliable sources of information on medical issues. Consult a doctor…
Posted in 
Tags: 
No. Diabetes lies in a problem with insulin. The patient may not be as sensitive to insulin. Or the patient may not produce enough insulin. Or it may be a combination of these problems.
Think of insulin as the mail carrier. Insulin carries glucose (sugar) in the blood to muscle and fat cells. Insulin knocks at the door of the cell and tells it to take the glucose. Without insulin, the cells never realize that glucose is there and will not take it in. So even if you have more muscle mass, that’s just more muscle that won’t realize glucose is available.
Your question leads me to think that you are working out more and building muscle. Exercise will actually increase your body’s sensitivity to insulin. So your muscle and fat cells will pay more attention to insulin if you exercise. That’s one of the reasons why diabetics or those at risk of developing diabetes are encouraged to exercise.
It helps in that it decreases the amount of insulin you need.
Muscles, when excercised regularly, produce a family of proteins that perform pretty much the same function as insulin. However, it can’t be relied on as proxy for insulin.
In types one and two, it “increases insulin sensitivity” to have more muscle mass, because a) the proteins that mediate glucose uptake to the muscle cells are made at a higher rate, which causes b) less insulin to be needed.
But still, check your BG 4-6x a day and take however many units of insulin you need to keep your BG in a healthy range! If you do that, you’re healthier than the average non-diabetic.
Losing weight helps control diabetes.
What it actually is is the following: Being overweight(having excess fat cells) inhibits insulin’s ability to get glucose into the cells where the cells use the glucose as energy to perform the cell’s functions(called insulin resistance!).
If a type 2 diabetic loses weight he/she may not need as much medication for their diabetes.
Others offered good answers here as well
Vince
This opens a complex issue, more than it appears.
For about 2/3 of the body cells, insulin is required to take in glucose from the blood. In type 1 diabetes (what used to be called juvenile diabetes), the body doesn’t produce insulin anymore. It has to come from the outside or death is very very likely. And, of course, without insulin, the glood glucose level goes, and usually stays high.
In type 2 diabetes, those body cells stop (more or less) listening to the insulin. And if they[‘re not taking in glucose, there will be more in blood, and glucose levels will be high.
in non-diabetics, glucose is absorbed into cells and used for fuel. Two kinds of cells have internal storage for glucose they don’t need right now. One kind is liver cells and the other is muscle cells. Liver cells are a kind of temporary storage, and when blood glucose levels go down, they take some of the stored glucoses and put it back into the blood. Muscle cells don’t have the machinery to do that, so their stored glucose stays in the muscle cell until it’s used for fuel. When marathon runners carbo load, what they’re trying to do is get all the liver and muscle cells to take in as much glucose as possible, so they can use it during the race.
There is one exception to this need insulin to absorb glucose business. When muscles exercise, they can take in glucose more or less regardless of whether insulin is present. The effect is easily measurable and lasts for a few hours after the exercise stops. It’s one reason diabetics are told to exercise.
So, if you have lots of muscle mass, you can absorb more glucose than the 90 pound weakling on Muscle Beach. If you don’t eat much, eventually the liver’s stored glucose will be put into the blood and, especially when you exercise, will be absorbed into the muscle cells. If the liver was full, this will be something like 3/4 of a kilogram of glucose. But, if your glucose levels go down and even the liver’s storage can’t keep it up, your body will start making glucose itself, mostly from taking protein apart. A few of the amino acid building blocks in protein can be turned into glucose. The rest will be discarded into the blood and if there are enough the kidneys will start dumping them. And, one part of stored fat (just a small part) can be turned into glucose as well; the rest can’t.
So, to answer your question, more muscle mass will let you absorb more glucose than otherwise, BUT, the body is very committed to keeping glucose in the blood that even lots of muscle mass can’t git rid of all of it. And, if you’re diabetic with insulin problems of one kind or another, your muscles can’t take in glucose very well, unless you exercise. Even then, your muscles won’t be a ble to take in enough to get all the glucose.
Yes muscle mass helps, no it is not a substitute for insulin (type 1 diabetics and some type 2), nor for other medication (both types).
Getting buffed won’t make the diabetes or ist problems go away, and can’t really help all that much in any case. But he exercise you need to get the muscles will help. Don’t stop.
A warning! Steroid drugs have an unfortunate effect. They interfere with the insulin-glucose business, and long term use can and does cause diabetes. If you’re diabetic or becoming diabetic, don’t even consider it. Locker room legends are not very reliable sources of information on medical issues. Consult a doctor…