a question about diabetes...

[orthopa]

hi everyone. i wanted to start by saying thankyou to everyone who contributes to this forum - you all have helped me tremendously. my question pertains to dextrose in a postworkout shake. now, i searched for literally hours for an answer to my question, so if it has been brought up before please point me to the link. otherwise - the use of dextrose (and/or maltodextrin) takes advantage of an isulin spike - we are all aware of this. however, my question is this: Type II diabetics suffer from down-regulation of insulin receptors after repeated exposure to high levels of plasma glucose. will a repeated insulin spike (caused by dextrose) not also cause this same down-regualtion of insulin receptors, effectively creating a Type II diabetic?
thanks for any info guys and girls.

[Cort]

The amount of dextrose you take in should not be large enough to cause something like that. I usually take in about 30g post workout with my protein shake...could compare it to drinking a glass of juice or two.

[Lady C]

It has a lot to do with your genetics as well. I personally DO NOT add extra sugar to my post workout shake, I only use what fructose comes in the fruits I use in them. I think I have good results this way.

P.S. Type II diabetes is the fastest growing medical problem today. I work for a medical company that treats diabetics and continuous spiking of the insulin contributes to the growing number of patients diagnosed each year (as well as being overweight and lack of exercise).

[CJNY]

Any benefit you might get from a post-workout dose of sugar and protein is going to be small when compared to an overall well planned diet and exercise regimen. If this is even a small concern for you then don't do it.

Concentrate on making sure the rest of your diet is in order and you won't be missing much, if anything.

[cursor]

Muscle growth benefits that [can] come from adding dextrose to post-workout shakes are only possible if you understand the work level necessary to create the "thirsty-sponge" condition. People new to resistance training should not "spike" post-workout beverages with high-glycemic ingredients.

Whether or not your body is adversely affected (diabetes-wise) by adding dextrose to your post-workout shake will depend on how often you have them, how effectively you quantify the dosage, how real your muscle taxation is, and how (otherwise) frequently you consume foods/beverages that spike your insulin levels (drink BigGulps or eat Krispy Kremes).

[orthopa]

thanks guys for your replies. Lady C - i am a healhcare provider and am well aware of the diabetic epidemic our country will be facing, which is why i was so worried about the repeated insulin spike. i use 60g of dextrose in my post-workout, along with 40g of protein (and 5g of creatine). i might have to drop down the amount of dextrose i use. thanks again for your replies and keep training hard!