WHAT IS INSULIN RESISTANCE?
By JJ Virgin, CNS, CHFI
Insulin is the major building hormone in our body. It is used to store nutrients. Unfortunately when it is produced in abundance it can cause us to “overstore” or more specifically to become very good “fat-storers”.
Many of us are eating more carbohydrates than we should. These turn into sugar in our body and our body produces insulin in response to these carbs in order to keep our blood sugar from going to high. Over time, a high carbohydrate diet producing this insulin response can damage our receptors which “hear” the insulin and respond to it. When these receptors get damaged, they can’t “hear” the insulin as well and therefore they don’t respond to it as readily which makes the body produce even higher insulin levels. We start to see insulin stay high over time, when it should instead go up with each meal and then return to normal (about 5). If it stays high, it blocks the body’s ability to use fat for fuel and it also causes a lot of other problems, like chronic inflammation.
Fortunately, you can heal your receptors. First, you need to reduce the amount of carbs and the types of carbs in your diet to stop the ongoing damage. Focus on High Response Cost High Yield Carbs - i.e. those that are the least or unrefined and have a lot of fiber like whole grains and legumes. Eat small amounts (20-25 grams or ½ cup) at each meal and be sure to have some protein at each meal as it releases an opposing hormone to insulin to help balance things out.
Resistance training helps increase the amount of insulin receptors and their sensitivity. Fish oils also help repair the receptors so they can “hear” the message more easily.
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