Insulin

Insulin - EJP Nutrition

Where to start?! Insulin is a hormone which is produced by the beta cells in the pancreas. It has many functions, including regulating blood glucose levels & as a storage/anabolic hormone, or a fuel selector. Contrary to popular opinion, insulin is not bad.

There is often scaremongering around spiking insulin. Eating carbohydrates or protein (yes, not only carbs!) initiates an insulin release. However, in healthy individuals a rise in insulin following a meal is exactly what’s supposed to happen. This is to regulate the glucose in your blood & transport the energy to where it’s needed; into muscle cells, fat cells, to fuel your brain etc.

Insulin Resistance

Insulin Resistance (IR, or impaired insulin sensitivity) is when the body doesn’t respond effectively to insulin. IR is linked with many chronic diseases, including Type 2 diabetes, PCOS, metabolic syndrome, dyslipidemia & CVD. Hyperinsulinemia is when there is too much insulin circulating, which is associated with T2DM.

Excess energy in the blood (too much glucose circulating) can lead to complications such as diabetic retinopathy, or limb loss. Putting glucose into cells is a protective mechanism. When stored it avoids this damage. In that sense weight gain is protective. With IR the problem is that insulin isn’t doing its job putting stuff inside cells.

Insulin also interacts with other hormones. As it increases, cortisol (the stress hormone) decreases. It also can increase leptin and T3, which influence satiety. All healthy bodily functions.


Obesity

While there is a positive association between high insulin levels & obesity, it does not cause obesity. Eating carbs does not cause diabetes, & eating high carb does not cause insulin resistance either. Too often these complex conditions are over-simplified, to the point they distort the facts.

Maintaining Insulin Sensitivity

Certain behaviours can help increase or maintain insulin sensitivity, to reduce the risk of chronic disease. These include regular exercise, a diet rich in vegetables, getting adequate sleep and having lower levels of visceral fat. A 5-10% reduction in body weight has been shown to reduce IR too. A lot of the usuals recommendations in short.

References: Mac Nutrition Uni, Mosaffarian et al 2010, Malmström et al 1996, Arner et al 1984, Schenk et al 2009, Janssen et al 2002, Ross et al 2000, Colberg 2017

Note: The above is meant as a summary, and has been simplified (heavily in places). But as an overview it will hopefully help you to understand the basics. I’ll follow this up with more specific posts of some of the conditions, such as diabetes and PCOS, in due course. In the meantime any questions please send me any questions you have.

PS. Please continue to ignore anyone claiming the insulin hypothesis has any proven basis

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