I was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes about 2.5 years ago. After being diagnosed I took a sharp change in my diet, lifestyle and have brought my sugar levels to almost normal level (I regularly test my fasted glucose level). Certainly a combination of weight training and reducing fat levels, plus a careful look at diet helped.
I’ve read a myriad of articles on insulin sensitivity, muscle building, hormonal imbalances etc. But I dont really understand the link. Can anyone point me in the right direction as how insulin, diabetes and muscle building can be linked ?
Ok, well you have a clinical condition so you should be careful about soliciting advice from the internet; and, only registered dietitians can give you nutritional advice. I am not a registered dietitian.
According to one theory in my test book
Genetic Inheritance + Excess food energy + inadequate physical activity → Obesity → Enlarged fat mass and Elevated blood lipids → Insulin Resistance → Type 2 Diabetes and Hormonal imbalance → Reduced glucose used for fuel and increased fat stores → More Obesity
Insulin sensitivity refers to the receptiveness of tissue to the hormone insulin which primarily acts as a storage hormone. Inactivity and excess energy intake lead to insulin resistance(insulin bombardment and lack of need to replenish glucose stores, I think).
Insulin sensitivity is greatly effected by activity, an effect that lasts something like 24 hours and is slowly cumulative. Insulin is also responsible for shuttling the nutrients that our bodies need to repair and build new tissue into the muscle.
The link I think you are looking for is that diabetes means insulin resistance, and insulin sensitivity is necessary to properly build muscle. Regular physical activity and a good diet positively effect insulin sensitivity further facilitating the building of muscle.
I am not an expert; if you have questions about this I would recommend talking to your doctor; he/she should be able to give you better answers than you will find on the internet.
The link is that the better physical condition your body is in, the less devastating your diabetes will be as you continue to age. There isn’t really a link with “muscle building.” It’s more of a “diabetes - insulin - body composition” link, where the more lean your composition is, the less your diabetes will harm your body.
I wouldn’t worry much about why if you don’t understand it. This is a complicated subject and is still heavily researched. Just know that it is a good idea for any diabetic (type 1 or 2) to maintain an active lifestyle.