Insulin Resistance? How come no one told me? Why didn’t my doctor warn me?
Here’s the basic scoop…
In VERY basic terms, insulin is a hormone produced by our pancreas that functions at just about every cell in the human body. Sounds pretty scientific I know. But, hang in here for a moment. It’s good stuff. Insulin regulates tons of bodily functions, one of which deals with energy metabolism…yes, that includes body weight. Got your attention now eh?!
Again, in basic terms, carbohydrates such as bread, pasta, potatoes, bananas and more contain chains of sugars one of which is glucose. Once digested in our gut and recognized in our gut, a healthy body elicits insulin to prep the body for its use or storage. Glucose enters the bloodstream and then makes its way into the body’s cells to be used or stored with the assistance of insulin. What glucose is not burned for energy or wasted as heat ends up being stored as glycogen in the muscles (esp. fit muscles) and the liver…but we only need so much and then the rest is stored as fat either in our typical “fat stores” or other areas like our liver.
There are other sugars in carbohydrates that aren’t talked about as often such as fructose and galactose. We’ll tackle those in other articles.
In most circumstances and, still, in basic terms, glucose needs insulin to enter the cells to be functional. The more sugar consumed, the more insulin elicited. If one has a higher than needed carbohydrate consumption (esp. from processed foods esp. with seed oils) over time, some cells begin to ignore insulin while others still welcome it. This means even more insulin is circulating in the blood stream. This insulin “insensitivity” is called “insulin resistance”. This is where one needs more insulin to do the same job which comes with a whole host of issues. Higher insulin levels means more insulin at the cells that are still accepting it possibly over-functioning but less insulin input in the cells that are ignoring it resulting in less functioning insulin in those cells resulting in: hunger, cravings, weight gain, blood pressure, kidney issues, vision problems, erectile dysfunction, PCOS, infertility, immune issues and much much more.
Insulin resistance is said to be an indicator that diabetes (type II) is on its way. AND, it can seem pretty “silent”. It creeps up on you. YOU MAY HAVE IT FOR DECADES BEFORE YOUR DOCTOR INFORMS YOU! But your body does talk to you! You have to listen to it!
Now, when one’s body has hit a point where the higher insulin level is inadequate to “handle” glucose levels in the blood they are then considered diabetic (type II).
Long-term consequences of high blood glucose control and high insulin levels (Type II diabetes/high insulin-dosed Type 1 DM) include: poor blood circulation, kidney failure, liver failure, blindness, non-healing wounds, gangrene, amputations, intense neuropathy (nerve pain), heart disease, cancer, dementia, muscle wasting and more. Some aren’t lucky enough to experience longer-term consequences due to death.
As mentioned before, it can creep up on you.
Here are a few symptoms of IR (or Diabetes II):
· Weight gain or difficulty losing weight
· Larger waist-line
· Increased appetite
· Increased food cravings
· Lethargy… as you can see, these are very common.
If you have these symptoms, you should be evaluated by your healthcare practitioner.
· Please get a fasting insulin level, blood glucose, A1C at the very minimum.
By the way, if you’re worried about your waistline and less about health, note that high insulin levels shuts off fat burning and lower’s metabolism. This is called metabolic inflexibility which is when one’s body relies on regular glucose intake to “feel” normal. You should be able to skip a meal and feel fine!
See the Quiz at WellnessClarified.com.
Either way, the good news is that IR and diabetes can be improved or resolved by:
1- Therapeutic carbohydrate regulation.
2- Appropriate movement.
3- Habit change.
4- Stress management, AKA- coping improvements.
LIFESTYLE BEHAVIORS ARE EVERYTHING!
Insulin resistance and type II diabetes are your body’s adaptions to your lifestyle. These are adaptations to what you do and think, how you react and what you put into your body on a daily basis. But, it sure can be a vicious cycle can’t it? Because you do, think, react and eat the way you’ve been eating because of the way you feel! You need to break the cycle…then the flow will begin!
Wellness Clarified’s C.L.E.A.R. Approach to Wellness is a program and gets to the root cause of nutrition and other lifestyle-associated conditions. If you desire to learn more, just call us at: 561-436-6617.
Disclaimer:
I am a dietitian. I am not providing medical advice. This is for educational purposes. If you desire to make a change to your lifestyle, take this information to your practitioner to discuss whether or not it’s appropriate for you.
