Hormone Replacement Therapy May Help Reverse Type 2 Diabetes

The incidence of type 2 diabetes has exploded in recent years – developing into an epidemic in the United States. Prediabetes affects about 86 million adult Americans (one in every three). Additionally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stated in 2021 that as many as 32 million adults in the US have type 2 diabetes. This equates to almost 10% of the United States population!

These astonishing figures include instances of type 2 diabetes that have been diagnosed – as well as those that may have gone undetected. Indeed, surprisingly, many individuals are unaware they have prediabetes or even full-blown type 2 diabetes.

Many people – both men and women – are also unaware that diabetes raises their chance of developing numerous other severe (and even life threatening) health problems. Cardiovascular illness, kidney damage, eye damage or blindness, neuropathy (nerve damage), foot damage (amputation), skin problems, hearing impairment, and even Alzheimer’s disease are just some of the conditions that may occur as a result of type 2 diabetes.

The Role Hormones Play in Type 2 Diabetes

Type 1 Diabetes is an autoimmune disorder that develops in childhood – when the body attacks and destroys its own insulin producing cells in the pancreas. Type 2 Diabetes develops in adults and is a condition in which the body still produces insulin – but can no longer utilize it effectively to metabolize sugar. In other words the body becomes “insulin resistant”.

Hormones are responsible for blood sugar regulation in the human body. An organ called the pancreas is an endocrine gland that secretes insulin and other hormones to aid in the processing of sugar and stabilization of blood glucose levels. The thyroid and adrenal glands also have an effect on blood sugar levels, assisting in keeping them within a safe and healthy range.

But, over time, poor dietary habits and low physical activity – in combination with hormone shortages – can result in chronically elevated glucose (blood sugar) levels that eventually lead to increased insulin resistance. This usually occurs in the phases preceding prediabetes and increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, as well as cardiovascular (heart) disease and hypertension (high blood pressure).

But the hormone insulin does not operate in a vacuum. Other hormonal abnormalities often coexist with blood sugar problems. Deficiencies of the so-called “sex hormones” (testosterone, estrogen and progesterone) are all also related to type 2 diabetes and other metabolic diseases.

According to a 2014 review of research on the subject, men with low testosterone levels are more likely to develop type2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome. Additionally, clinical studies have demonstrated that decreased progesterone levels may result in insulin resistance in men and women alike.

Menopause & Andropause Effects on Blood Sugar

The hormone decline that occurs in women when they reach the end of their reproductive years is called Menopause. Similarly in men, hormone production also declines over the years (although more gradually) in a condition called Andropause (“male menopause”).

Deficient hormone levels affect all aspects of the body’s functioning. To function effectively, all of the body’s hormones must exist in favorable amounts and balanced at the correct ratios. And it is well established that the hormonal imbalances associated with menopause and andropause impair glycemic (blood sugar) control in both men and women – leading to type 2 diabetes.

In females, estrogen deficiency and testosterone deficiency during menopause increases the development of Insulin resistance. And in males, lower testosterone levels increase the development of insulin resistance.

How Insulin Regulates Blood Sugar

Insulin regulates whether or not the body is “fasting” (burning energy or calories) or “non-fasting” (storing energy as body fat). Obese individuals, people with metabolic syndrome, and type 2 diabetics (and prediabetics) produce increased amounts of insulin, and their insulin levels stay elevated after a meal. So, they become “insulin resistant” and store unhealthy fat – which results in heart disease, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes.

However, lean individuals’ insulin levels rapidly return to normal after a meal. They are sensitive (not resistant) to insulin. And these increased fasting insulin levels are inversely linked to weight gain, fat accumulation, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and other type 2 diabetes risk factors.

Treating Type 2 Diabetes with Hormone Replacement

Fortunately, hormone levels in men and women can be restored with hormone replacement therapy. And once appropriate hormone levels are reached it helps the body maintain normal glucose (blood sugar) levels.

In a clinical study of 15,435 women with type 2 diabetes, those who used hormone replacement therapy had a substantially lower A1C (blood test indicating blood sugar) than those who did not. Similarly, postmenopausal women in the research study who were taking estradiol hormone replacement demonstrated an increase in insulin sensitivity (i.e., the opposite of insulin resistance) and a lower rate of type 2 diabetes.

Additionally, medical research has shown that hormone replacement can substantially improve the lipid profiles of men and women who are low in sex hormones – also mitigating against the development of type 2 diabetes.

The hormone experts at SottoPelle – and numerous doctors and endocrinologists around the world who prescribe bioidentical hormone replacement – have discovered that rebalancing essential hormones  (particularly thyroid, testosterone, estrogen, progesterone, and vitamin D) has a significant effect on people with type 2 diabetes. Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT) – especially when combined with diet and physical activity modifications – can effectively reduce or even reverse insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes!

Hormone Replacement to Treat Diabetes | Phoenix

The SottoPelle hormone replacement method is a proprietary, customized BHRT program that will assist you in restoring your depleted hormones to optimal balance – so you can start metabolizing properly. This will help enable you to lose unnecessary fat, maintain your muscle mass, improve insulin sensitivity, and reverse many of the conditions associated with metabolic syndrome – including type 2 diabetes.

A comprehensive assessment, including thorough blood testing, will be conducted to create a hormone replacement therapy program customized just for you!

If you have been diagnosed with metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular problems, high blood pressure, prediabetes, or type 2 diabetes, SottoPelle® would like to become a member of your medical team. Kindly contact us for a consultation if you are in the greater Phoenix area. Our highly skilled BHRT practitioners can assess your health and medical history to determine whether the SottoPelle® hormone replacement method is a good match for you. And if you live outside of the greater Phoenix area, you can also find a SottoPelle® physician in your area who is highly trained in hormone replacement using our Physician Finder HERE.

Hormone Replacement Therapy: (323) 986-5100

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: This article is provided as general information only and is not intended to be used as medical advice. While the benefits of hormone replacement are well documented through clinical research, we are not representing that hormone therapy is a “cure” for any disease. Only your treating physician can determine if hormone replacement may be a beneficial part of your healthcare regimen, based on your age, overall health, risk factors, and lifestyle.