How To Really Optimise Your Insulin Levels
If you have diabetes, the first logical step should be to reduce the processed carbs in your diet to the point where you achieve normal blood glucose levels. Its important to note here that this does not require flat line blood sugar with no variance.
In an effort to achieve this, many people resort to avoiding protein and all carbohydrate and end up with a nutrient-poor low satiety diet. Dialling back your carbohydrate intake to the point that you dont see a rise of more than 1.6 mmol/L or 30 mg/dL is a reasonable goal. There doesnt appear to be any benefit in dialling back carbs and protein further and further to achieve even more stable blood sugars.
Some people assume that fat is a free food because it does not raise insulin levels as much. However, the reality is that your pancreas is still ratcheting up your basal insulin to hold your body fat in storage while you burn off the fat coming in through your mouth.
The only practical way to reduce your basal insulin and to reverse diabetes, insulin resistance and all the diseases associated with metabolic syndrome is to find a way to create a sustained energy deficit while still getting the nutrients you need from your food.
This is preferable to the keep calm and keto on attitude or add more fat .
What Are The Signs Of High And Low Blood Sugar
Change your medication with doctor supervision. according to the British Diabetes AssociationGet plenty of sleep.According to recommendations published March 2015 in Sleep Health, according to the Sleep FoundationManage stress well.cortisolstress hormoneaccording to Harvard Health Publishingaccording to the ADA
Tip For Reversal #: Incorporate More Protein Into Your Diet
You might not be surprised to hear that eating more protein can help reverse insulin resistance.
A 2020 analysis of multiple studies found that a high-protein diet can lower insulin resistance levels in people with type 2 diabetes, as well as lowering triglycerides and LDL cholesterol levels. Incorporating more protein with your meals can help keep your blood sugars stable, avoiding any blood sugar spikes that can contribute to insulin resistance. If youre looking for some inspiration for a healthy protein-rich meal, dont hesitate to try this chicken chimichurri or salmon en papillote with roasted fennel.
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What Are The Symptoms Of Insulin Resistance And Prediabetes
Insulin resistance and prediabetes usually have no symptoms. Some people with prediabetes may have darkened skin in the armpit or on the back and sides of the neck, a condition called acanthosis nigricans. Many small skin growths called skin tags often appear in these same areas.
Even though blood glucose levels are not high enough to cause symptoms for most people, a few research studies have shown that some people with prediabetes may already have early changes in their eyes that can lead to retinopathy. This problem more often occurs in people with diabetes.
Ketogenic Diet Vs The Insulin Resistance Diet
As we mentioned above, the ketogenic diet and other high-fat, low-carb diets are actually very bad for your health in the long term, especially if you have diabetes.
The main reason for these misleading ketogenic recommendations is the positive short-term results of a ketogenic diet. By limiting/removing carbohydrates, the most immediate source of blood glucose spikes, you see quick results.
However, in the long term, this high-fat diet only increases your insulin resistance to dangerous levels, which can have very negative effects if you ever reintroduce glucose to your diet.
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Insulin Resistance How To Reverse Insulin Resistance
How do you feel when you miss your meals for one day?
You starve and your body can not function properly.
- Right? And the reason is that you do not get enough energy.
Just like this, our body cells starve too.
- Body cells starve when there is insulin resistance, and they cannot use the insulin present in our bodies.
- Insulin is produced within the human body.
It permits glucose to enter our body cells and in return, our body gets sufficient energy for proper functioning.
Hyperinsulinemia & Insulin Resistance Causes More Death Than Ww1 And Ww2 Combined
When youre more insulin resistant, your body requires MORE insulin from your pancreas to push glucose and energy into cells.
High insulin may not cause all chronic disease. But at the very least it exacerbates them. Having persistently high fasting insulin levels is called hyperinsulinemia. It usually goes hand in hand with insulin resistance.
If you have insulin resistance, youre at risk for chronic disease. Theres no chronic disease thats not related to insulin resistance:
- Heart disease
- A waist larger than 35 for women or 40 for men
- A fasting insulin level above 5
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Dangers Of Insulin Resistance
Insulin resistance causes an imbalance between the storage and uptake of glucose in your cells, and causes a high concentration of sugar in your blood. When your blood sugar levels rise above a healthy range, it puts you at risk of diabetes.
Diabetes is a disease classified by having chronically high blood sugar. If your blood sugar rises above normal levels, but isnt high enough to signify diabetes, your doctor will refer to it as prediabetes. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , roughly one in three Americans are prediabetic.
Cut Out Vegetable Antinutrients
Vegetables arent here for human survival. They dont want to be eaten.
Turns out those innocent and healthy veggies are quite devious after all. To prevent predators from eating them, vegetables all have chemical weapons and booby traps set.
Theyre all like Kevin McAllister in Home Alone. Innocent looking, but destructive. Dont judge a book by its cover
One of those groups of anti nutrients are lectins. Theyre found primarily in grains, nuts, legumes and nightshades.
And they wreak absolute havoc on your body, especially in high doses. This study found that when lectins they reach the bloodstream, they can bind insulin receptors and thereby interfere with insulins action
Just one more reason to cut out vegetables and eat meat like were made to.
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Can Insulin Resistance Be Reversed
In times where countless ads promise to lose weight fast, we often forget that weight gain didnt happen overnight.
With this in mind, metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance as its driving force are developing step-by-step, pound-by-pound over years.
Therefore, that you cant reverse insulin resistance in a week should be common sense, but isnt.
While conventional caloric reduction suggest that time doesnt matter, insulin resistance is very time-dependent .
Moreover, there is evidence that reversing insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome can take just as long as their development took.
Therefore, French scientists observed different subjects from non-obese over recently obese to long-term obese.
And they found that insulin sensitivity decreases with duration of obesity and age. As a result, time is a significant factor for insulin resistance.
While non-obese subjects didnt show high levels of insulin, recently and long-term obese participants exhibited high insulin levels .
In other words, hyperinsulinemia comes first and the severity of insulin resistance develops over time. But everything starts with persistently high insulin level.
In other words, the fat are getting fatter more easily and losing weight harder.
So, if you ask yourself: Can I reverse insulin resistance?
The answer is yes. But it may take a severe amount of time as it did for your cells to exhibit insulin resistance.
Moreover, a dietary change might not yield immediate results. Why?
Does A Ketogenic Diet Reduce Insulin Resistance Long
Insulin resistance improves promptly for most people when they begin a ketogenic diet, and the effect appears to be attributable to the ketones per se , not just the reduced intake of carbohydrate. If an individual loses a substantial amount of weight, insulin resistance can be further reduced.
The degree to which this improved insulin sensitivity remains long-term is dependent upon the individual. Factors such as the duration that someone was insulin resistant and current physical activity level may play a role in their level of carbohydrate tolerance after a successful period of time on a well-formulated ketogenic diet. While it may not be necessary for everyone to remain in ketosis forever, some individuals will find that to maintain their metabolic health long-term, continuing a well-formulated ketogenic diet is most effective. If one chooses to add carbohydrates back into the diet, it may be best to do so as a modest amount of carbohydrate over time. In the course of doing so, it will be important to monitor biomarkers like fasting blood glucose, serum triglycerides, and HbA1c to assess carbohydrate tolerance and prevent the re-development of insulin resistant conditions such as metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes.Learn more about reversing type 2 diabetes with a ketogenic diet.
Citations:
Newman JC, Verdin E. β-hydroxybutyrate: Much more than a metabolite. Diabetes Res Clin Pract. 2014 106:173-181.
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How Can Insulin Resistance Be Reversed
Several actions are known to decrease insulin resistance, Warshaw says. Among them are weight loss, exercise, glucose-lowering medication, and changes in food choices or eating habits.
Tom says exercise is the most effective tool. Exercise helps by reducing body fat, which makes cells less resistant to insulin, and by building muscle, which helps the body use insulin more efficiently.
A systematic review of 11 studies found an association between increased physical activity levels and lower chances of developing insulin resistance. Try to at least meet the CDCs minimum recommendation of 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity physical activity.
According to a study funded by the National Institutes of Health, people at high risk of developing Type 2 diabetes could reduce that risk by losing 5 to 7 percent of their weight . They did that through being more active and implementing dietary changes.
Not sure how to start? Take a look at the CDCs PreventT2 program, which is a year-long program that includes diet and exercise advice. Research shows that programs such as this help with calorie reduction, weight control and physical activity, and they can reduce the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes by 58 percent. The program is covered by many health plans and Medicare Part B.
One good thing is that there are several possible diet plans that can help reverse insulin resistance.
Here Are Some Ways To Determine If You Have Insulin Resistance:
Find your waist to hip ratio.
Measure yourself around your natural waist and also around the widest part of your hips. Divide your waist measurement by your hip measurement. For women, the ratio should be no greater than 0.8. If you are above that, it means that you are at risk for insulin resistance. The number for men is 1.0.
Get a fasting insulin test
Ask your doctor to order a blood glucose and insulin test. Typically, you fast for 12 hours and then have your first blood draw. Then you will eat a meal and get a second blood draw two hours after your meal. Fasting blood glucose levels should be under 90 mg/dL. If your levels are 100 to 125 mg/dL you are considered in the pre-diabetes range and are insulin resistant. Fasting insulin levels should be around 5 mcU/ml Anything higher indicates insulin resistance.
Get your cholesterol checked
Abnormal blood cholesterol in addition to abnormal fasting insulin and blood glucose may indicate that you have insulin resistance, especially if you have low HDL and high triglycerides. Typically fasting triglycerides should be below 150. But, more importantly, you want to look for a 1:2 ratio of triglycerides to cholesterol.
Do a skin check
A skin condition called acanthosis nigricans is associated with insulin resistance. Look for darkened skin patches on your neck, elbows, knees, and armpits. Skin tags are also a sign of insulin resistance.
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Other Risk Factors Of Insulin Resistance
- Age: your risk increases after the age of 45
- A family history of type 2 diabetes
- Being sedentary
- Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease
You should regularly monitor blood sugar if you have risk factors for insulin resistance, such as obesity, a sedentary lifestyle, or a family history of type 2 diabetes. Even if you don’t have these risk factors, you should start getting tested at the age of 45, says MD, medical director of the Penn Rodebaugh Diabetes Center.
High Protein: Energy Ratio
For all the Ted Naiman fans, we designed a High Protein:Energy Recipe Book.
These recipes will still provide plenty of nutrients while being extremely satiating and hard to overeat. These would be ideal a body builder trying to get lean or someone with a lot of weight to lose quickly.
The good news is that you dont need to start with the aggressive fat loss foods. You can work your way up the scale, first by balancing your blood sugars with a lower carbohydrate diet. From there you can focus on nutrient density and satiety to ensure you keep moving forward. By prioritising food quality means you dont have to rely so much on food quantity.
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Intermittent Fasting: 2x Eating/day
Intermittent fasting is a type of eating plan that involves a limited time period when caloric intake is restricted.
There are specific intermittent fasting protocols, such as those that restrict food intake after a specific time of day , to those that rotate between eating normally and restricting a certain number of calories during the day on fasting days.
I recommend 16 hours fasting window, with 8 hours eating window. Your fasting window is 8pm until 12 noon the next day. Your eating window will be 12 noon till 8pm. This is where you will be consuming your 1500kcal meal. Preferably spread into 2 meals.
The primary goal of intermittent fasting for weight loss is to get the insulin levels to decrease to a level where the body will begin to burn stored fat for energy.
During this process, the body runs out of glucose and switches to burning ketone bodies for fuel by breaking down stored fat.
According to recent research published in The New England Journal of Medicine, this metabolic switch from using glucose to using ketones for fuel also has some added benefits for the bodydecreased inflammation, improved glucose regulation, lowering insulin levels, detoxifying the body, and a more adaptive stress response.
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What Are Clinical Trials And Are They Right For You
Clinical trials are part of clinical research and at the heart of all medical advances. Clinical trials look at new ways to prevent, detect, or treat disease. Researchers also use clinical trials to look at other aspects of care, such as improving the quality of life for people with chronic illnesses. Find out if clinical trials are right for you.
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Explaining Insulin Resistance And How To Reverse It
You may see the phrase insulin resistance a lot these days, especially if you use social media. This condition has been linked to conditions such as prediabetes, weight gain and high cholesterol, and social media influencers and diet purveyors often reference it to promote sometimes-dubious eating plans. But is a three-day meal plan to lower insulin resistance or the addition of a few superfoods into the diet really going to help? Nope. Insulin resistance is a precursor to many chronic conditions, so it needs to be kept at bay with a sustainable exercise and eating plan, not with a silly fad diet.
From the ubiquitous mentions, it may also seem as if every person who is overweight has insulin resistance and as if people who dont have weight issues dont need to worry about it. But thats not necessarily true. Here are the facts about insulin resistance, including what it is, how to know whether you might have it, and how it can be managed.
Add Herbs And Spices To Your Cooking
Herbs and spices were used for their medicinal properties long before they were introduced into cooking.
However, it was not until the past few decades that scientists began examining their health-promoting properties.
Herbs and spices including fenugreek, turmeric, ginger, and garlic have shown promising results for increasing insulin sensitivity.
- Fenugreek seeds. Theyre high in soluble fiber, which helps make insulin more effective. Eating them whole, as an extract, or even baked into bread may help increase blood sugar management and insulin sensitivity (
- 61 ).
These findings for herbs and spices are promising. However, most research in this area is recent and was conducted in animals. Human studies are needed to investigate whether herbs and spices do indeed increase insulin sensitivity.
Summary
Garlic, fenugreek, turmeric, and ginger may help increase insulin sensitivity. The research behind them is recent and primarily conducted in animals, so more studies are needed before strong conclusions can be made.
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How To Reverse Insulin Resistance And Improve Your Hormonal Health
An imbalance in insulin and glucose levels can be easily managed with diet and lifestyle changes. If you are diagnosed with insulin resistance, heres what you can do to reverse its course, reduce the symptoms of estrogen dominance, and stave off the hormonal cascade that causes inflammation and disease:
Experiment With Supplements That Help Reduce Insulin Resistance
There are many supplements that can help with insulin resistance, but lets stick with the ones that are backed by research:
- Resveratrol: This is a polyphenolic compound that can be found in red wine and is known for its antioxidant benefits. High-quality evidence indicates that resveratrol can boost glucose uptake significantly without increasing insulin needs.
- Alpha Lipoic Acid: Alpha Lipoic Acid is an organosulfur compound that is essential for aerobic energy metabolism. Many studies have reported that supplementation with this compound can help reduce insulin resistance in subjects with type 2 diabetes.
- Berberine. This is a plant alkaloid that has been shown to lower blood glucose in many cases. Some researchers have even found berberine to be as effective as the popular diabetes drug, metformin.
- Chromium: Some evidence indicates that this essential trace element has the ability to indirectly increase insulin sensitivity.
- Magnesium: This essential mineral is so crucial for proper insulin signaling that magnesium deficiency can worsen insulin sensitivity.
- Gymnema Sylvestre: It lowers blood sugar and is also called gurmar, which means destroyer of sugar in Hindi.
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