I recently learned that in addition to insulin, type 1s also do not produce amylin.
Amylin is a hormone that beta cells release along with insulin and has three main functions:
-Delays stomach emptying (so that food “lasts” longer)
-Helps avoid glucose spikes after eating (stopping the release of glucagon)
-Reduces appetite by sending satiety signals to the brain.
And of course… if we do not have amylin, that means that our body does not send the “you are already full” signal well.
That explains a lot of things, because since I have diabetes I have a hard time feeling full.I don't have that feeling of “I've eaten enough”;I only notice the pressure in my stomach or the rise in sugar as a warning that I have overdone it.
That's why the same thing often happens to me: either I don't eat anything, or I eat too much.In the end I have learned to control it by not having a lot of food at home and buying just enough every day, because if I start, it is difficult for me to stop.
I had no idea this had such a clear hormonal explanation.
I think it is important to mention this, because sometimes we blame ourselves for “not having control”, when in reality our body does not have the same signals as that of a person without diabetes.