Insulin Resistance

     Insulin resistance leads to fatigue, depression, premature aging of the skin, hypertension, high blood pressure and then to the very serious diseases, obesity, heart disease, cancer, liver disease, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.*   It CAN be reversed.

• Are you fat?
•  Have you been fat for a long time?  
•   Do you have belly fat?

     These are indications that you need to increase your insulin sensitivity and get control of your blood sugar.  Unfortunately, there are no obvious insulin resistant symptoms. 

What is insulin resistance?

     It starts with what is called pre-diabetes which is a condition in which your blood glucose levels are higher than normal but NOT high enough for a diagnosis of diabetes. However, people with pre-diabetes are at risk for developing insulin resistance.

    It means that your pre-diabetic condition has progressed to the point at which your insulin is no longer working effectively in your body.

     When you eat, your pancreas releases the hormone insulin into your bloodstream to escort glucose and other nutrients into the muscle cells to be used for energy and revitalization. Different foods break down into different types of nutrients. Protein breaks down into amino acids which build or repair tissue, fat breaks down into fatty acids and carbohydrates break down into glucose which is used for energy.

      When you eat too many foods that raise your blood sugar, thus flooding your body with insulin, the insulin tells your body to store the excess glucose as fat. Foods that raise blood sugar are high glycemic foods. When this becomes a chronic condition, too much insulin all the time, your muscle cells become numb to the insulin and the body develops a resistance to the insulin’s effects.

     This is called insulin resistance but for all practical purposes you have type 2 diabetes.

According to the National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse, NDIC, this health condition usually has no symptoms.    This is what makes it so insidious. You may be overweight and you start having your blood pressure spike up but this may or may not get the proper medical attention.   IR is assessed by measuring the level of insulin in the blood which is possible to do with a blood sugar meter.   You can buy one here or at any drugstore.    You can also ask your doctor to do fasting glucose and glucose tolerance tests.

     The older we are the less able all of our cells are to function optimally. So, for many years insulin resistance or type 2 diabetes was most often found in people of middle age who were overweight. Now it is being found in young people, even children!   Perhaps because we have so many hidden high glycemic foods, the ones that spike blood sugar, in most processed foods.

Now what to do?   You suspect that you may have insulin resistance and of course you are concerned about your health.    What is the best strategy for reversing this condition and managing your blood sugar properly?

*NDIC states that the first therapy should always be an intensive lifestyle modification program because weight loss and physical activity are much more effective than any medication at reducing diabetes risk.   No drug is approved by the FDA to treat insulin resistance.*

      This plan is not rocket science. It is not complicated and  it is not a drug with potentially uncomfortable or unsafe side affects. It WILL require commitment and focus to change your lifestyle habits, an intensive lifestyle modification program, but it can be done!    You can take control of your health. The way to think about this is that you must start helping your cells become sensitive to insulin once again. You must eat for your health as well as to lose fat because you will only lose weight permanently when you get healthy.

Increasing Insulin Sensitivity

     The Lifetime Fat Loss plan focuses on improving your insulin sensitivity.    Once your insulin is working effectively, you WILL lose fat and you will be  revitalized! Your energy pathways will be functioning again.   These are the 3 effective strategies to increase insulin sensitivity.

I. EXERCISE

     Exercising regularly increases your insulin sensitivity! That’s because walking or other exercise causes the muscles to use glucose efficiently by making the cells more receptive to insulin! It even boosts the number of insulin receptors and helps you to control your blood sugar. After you have used the glucose in the liver and the blood then the body turns to the fatty acids in the storage sites which means you are releasing fat.

     Exercise also increases the happy hormones by making the brain produce the feel good chemicals that boost your mood, relieve, stress and give you a mental lift. It really doesn’t matter what you do as long as you do it at least 5 times a week. If you are obese consult your doctor about any new exercise you decide to try.

     You must spend at least 30 minutes - 1 hour,  5 times a week doing vigorous exercise.    Walking is ideal but it must be brisk, vigorous walking.

II. ADD CINNAMON

     Cinnamon has been shown in studies to help control your blood sugar. You need to add water extracted cinnamon to your daily diet by adding ¼ teaspoon to your morning tea or a glass of water before your breakfast. Stir the water and let the cinnamon settle at the bottom of the glass. Drink the water or tea. Do this before 2 meals a day. Test your blood sugar or have it tested and notice any changes. Studies confirm that cinnamon will boost your insulin sensitivity.*

     The third step to save yourself from disease and lose all your extra fat is the:

III.  IR DIET

     You need to double down on the Lifetime Fat Loss plan. The best diet for insulin resistance is focused on increasing your insulin sensitivity.   You will NOT be eating the typical, modern diet.    It's the typical modern diet of processed and convenience foods that have led to the epidemic of diabetes, insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome we have today.    In fact, chronic illness and degenerative diseases, like heart disease, cancer, chronic fatigue and arthritis that were uncommon a century ago but are commonplace today, may be sugar eating diseases.

     Hooked on sugar?   Don't despair.    You WILL get unhooked.   Low glycemic sweeteners satisfy that sweet tooth once you get your blood sugar stabilized.

      For now though, step #1 is to remove sugar, high fructose corn syrup and sodas from your home. Get started here on your lifestyle change  which is NOT a temporary diet but a way of life.

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* Banting Lecture 1988. Role of insulin resistance in human disease. Reaven, GM. Diabetics. 1988. 37 (12): 1595 - 1607.

* "Insulin Imitators: Polyphenols Found in Cinnamon Mimic Job of Hormone" was published in the April 2004 issue of Agricultural Research magazine.

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