With the popularity of low-carbon and ketogenic diets, everyone has gained a new understanding of carbohydrates, fats, and insulin.
Especially insulin, which was only used in the circle of diabetes a few years ago, seemed to have crossed the boundary for a while, and almost no one in the world of weight loss knew it,
Due to its appearance, it can inhibit the breakdown of fat, and many people treat it like a street mouse, shouting out:
Insulin is a hormone that can make people gain weight. Do not eat carbohydrates that stimulate insulin!
But actually, there’s a bit of a misunderstanding!
Insulin is an essential hormone in our body, and if we want to avoid gaining weight, we should be even more vigilant,
The big boss of insulin resistance!
Today we’re going to dig into those things about insulin~
Let’s start with the previous summary version<<
✅ Insulin can stabilize blood sugar, regulate carbohydrate, fat, and protein metabolism, and is a very important hormone in the human body;
✅ Insulin resistance needs attention. It can cause obesity, body inflammation and type 2 diabetes;
✅ Insulin resistance can be improved through a low-carbon diet, more exercise, good sleep, reduced stress, and quitting smoking;
✅ Insulin can promote fat synthesis, but it is not the only factor contributing to weight gain.
1、 Insulin, an essential hormone in the body.
Insulin is a protein hormone secreted by pancreatic beta cells in the pancreas, which is naturally secreted by normal individuals. It can stabilize blood sugar levels,
Promote glucose entry into muscles and cells, promote fat synthesis, control amino acid absorption, and enhance protein synthesis,
Maintaining the balance of minerals such as sodium, magnesium, and potassium plays an important role in maintaining the immune system.
Without it, we will suffer from type 1 diabetes, causing acidosis in the body.
There are two types of insulin: basal insulin refers to our fasting or pre meal,
Insulin secreted to maintain normal blood sugar levels has a relatively small amount and is continuously supplied and secreted.
And exogenous insulin is the blood sugar that rises steadily after we eat,
At this time, they secrete rapidly and in large quantities in a short period of time.
2、 Insulin has more effects than you think.
- Stable blood sugar levels are important
When we eat our next meal, the digestive tract converts carbohydrates into glucose, which goes into the bloodstream through the inner wall of the small intestine.
After blood sugar rises, insulin will come out to work on lowering blood sugar. It opens the doors of cells, allowing glucose to enter liver cells and muscle cells, and convert it into glycogen storage for us to use.
Without it, the body will be in a high blood sugar environment for a long time, which will cause inflammation and harm various organs and tissues,
There are decreased resistance, impaired renal function, neuropathy, fundus disease, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, and type 2 diabetes.
- Promoting protein absorption and muscle building are important.
Insulin can promote muscle absorption of amino acids, allowing muscles to recover and grow faster.
It can also prevent protein breakdown. So it’s important for muscle building~
- Has a certain impact on fat breakdown
Once insulin works, it inhibits the activity of hormone sensitive lipase, thereby reducing fat breakdown.
Seeing some friends here makes me anxious, after all, insulin has an impact on weight loss,
But in fact, there are many factors that can make you gain weight, such as poor calorie intake, sleep, stress, etc.
And compared to it, we need to pay more attention to the big boss below.
3、 Insulin resistance requires everyone’s attention.
Insulin resistance does not mean that the body does not secrete insulin, but rather that it is produced in a normal amount,
But the body ignores it and doesn’t react. In order for the body to respond to insulin, it needs to secrete insulin beyond normal levels,
This is a huge burden on both insulin and the body.
Insulin resistance can increase the hydrolysis of fat, leading to high levels of free fatty acids in the blood and increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease;
In addition, it will also reduce the absorption of glucose, which means your blood sugar cannot be lowered continuously,
Long term hyperglycemia environment will increase the risk of metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes.
- Signs of insulin resistance
The signs of insulin resistance are subtle, and some people do not experience any discomfort,
Some are just a little hungry than usual, tired, or have gained weight over a period of time, with poor skin, etc,
So we need everyone to combine their own lives and diets, view these changes, and everyone is different,
The following is for reference only. The best way is to regularly check fasting blood glucose and fasting insulin.
In short, when you find that your mental and physical health are not doing well recently, you need to see a doctor as soon as possible!
fatigue
Suddenly gaining a lot of weight
The skin around the neck, armpits, etc. turns black
Elevated fasting blood glucose
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
fatty liver
Addiction to sugar and carbohydrates
It’s easy to feel hungry
hypertension
Frequent edema and fluid retention, ankle swelling
It’s difficult to concentrate
Hair loss, etc
4、 How does good insulin fail?
Besides genetics, the main cause of insulin resistance currently is poor lifestyle habits.
- Eating too much carbohydrates can cause blood sugar to rise and lead to rapid weight gain.
Among the three major nutrients, carbohydrates have the greatest stimulation on blood sugar, followed by protein and fat.
When we consume carbohydrates, the digestive tract converts them into glucose, which then passes through the inner wall of the small intestine and enters the bloodstream.
After blood sugar rises, insulin comes out to work and lower blood sugar, allowing glucose to enter liver and muscle cells and be converted into glycogen for storage, which we can use.
But when you eat too much, insulin needs to be secreted several times to work. In the long run, it can be exhausted and inefficient, and the body’s response to it will also decrease.
Moreover, the storage capacity of the liver and muscles is limited. Muscles can store approximately 300-400 grams of sugar, while the liver stores even less, around 100 grams. Once it exceeds its storage range, excess sugar will turn into fat and be stored!
And gaining weight can increase the risk of insulin resistance. People who are overweight, or those with a fat belly and thin limbs,
It will release many free fatty acids into the bloodstream and secrete more harmful cytokines,
For example, interleukin-1, interleukin-6, etc., increase the risk of insulin resistance. [1]
Protein, on the other hand, is quite miraculous as it does not affect blood sugar levels, but can stimulate insulin secretion.
When proteins are broken down into amino acids, certain amino acids stimulate insulin response.
In 2010, there were 22 healthy skinny boys who, after eating whey, tuna, turkey, and egg white protein,
It was found that whey protein stimulated more insulin secretion. [6]
Although protein stimulation of insulin can lower blood sugar, at the same time, protein can also stimulate glucagon to increase blood sugar,
This change can be quickly adjusted by healthy people, and it is precisely because of their cooperation that you will not experience low blood sugar hunger,
This is also one of the reasons why eating protein can make you feel full.
Compared to carbohydrates and proteins, fat hardly causes blood sugar, so there is almost no insulin produced.
So, when you eat too much carbohydrates, insulin needs to come out frequently to work and it’s easy to take a break,
And after exceeding the body’s sugar storage capacity, we gain weight, which leads to a decrease in insulin sensitivity and resistance,
Under these conditions, you will find that no matter how much you diet or exercise, it is difficult to lose weight,
The reason is insulin resistance, and the first thing this weight loss population does is to increase insulin sensitivity.
- Not sleeping well is very harmful to the body.
In a 2010 experiment, 9 healthy volunteers were asked to sleep for 8.5 hours a day and 4 hours a day, respectively,
After measuring with instruments, it was found that on the day of sleeping less, endogenous glucose increased, indicating liver insulin resistance,
In addition, the decrease in glucose processing rate reflects a decrease in peripheral insulin sensitivity. [2]
- Intestinal microbiota is disrupted
Studies have shown that overweight individuals have a higher prevalence of bad bacteria such as Firmicutes and Actinobacteria,
And there are relatively few good bacteria like Bacteroides, which changes their intestinal permeability,
Increased absorption of lipopolysaccharides, activated pathways of certain receptors, increased inflammatory response,
After inflammation, it leads to abnormal insulin signaling pathway and increases insulin resistance. [3]
- High pressure and easy anxiety
When we feel stressed and depressed, our bodies think we are in danger and secrete stress hormones such as cortisol and glucagon,
Breaking down glycogen into glucose, they enter the bloodstream and raise blood sugar, which in turn stimulates insulin.
Continuous high blood sugar levels can reduce insulin sensitivity.
In addition, people who frequently smoke and sit for long periods of time also increase the risk of insulin resistance.
5、 Eating well and exercising well can improve insulin sensitivity.
- Eat less refined carbohydrates
Carbonated water can cause blood sugar fluctuations and stimulate insulin, so shouldn’t it be completely inedible?
Not eating is possible, but the prerequisite is that you can persist. Compared to this crude and direct method of quitting carbohydrates,
For most people, there are two main ways that are simple and easy to execute:
- Replace high GI carbon water with low GI carbon water;
- Reduce the total intake of carbohydrates.
The impact of high GI carbohydrates on blood sugar is like a flood, while low GI carbohydrates slow down the release of sugar into the bloodstream, allowing insulin more time to work effectively.
Common low GI carbon water is these~
Reducing carbohydrate intake, or low-carbon diet, and the amount of carbohydrate needed to be reduced, actually varies from person to person.
Research has found that when carbohydrates are limited to 20 grams per day, there are significant improvements in blood sugar levels, weight, and other indicators. [4]
But 20 grams of carbohydrates is too harsh for ordinary people, you can already exceed the limit by eating one or two rice.
So how much can be relaxed?
A study has found that 70-90 grams of carbohydrates per day, or 20% of a day’s calories coming from carbohydrates, are also effective. [5]
I personally think that we still need to explore the amount of carbon water ourselves, and the most direct way is to eat less carbon water than the current amount,
Then observe your body to see if your mental state has improved and if your fasting blood sugar has decreased.
No one can accurately tell you how much carbohydrates to eat.
Also, it is important to note that one should not immediately take an extreme approach and avoid consuming carbohydrates to produce ketones,
Unless you are a strong willed person, it is easy to experience issues such as carbon explosion, inability to eat oil, pain, and poor mood,
It’s better to start with a gentle approach and take it slow.
- Intermittent fasting
When we take our first bite of food, insulin senses and immediately prepares to be secreted at any time,
So the best way to let it rest is to not eat.
During the time of not eating, blood sugar and insulin levels significantly decrease, while glycogen can be consumed.
Compared to fasting, intermittent fasting is easier to operate.
There are currently 5:2, 16:8, or methods of eating for one day without eating for one day.
In a human study on intermittent fasting, fasting blood glucose decreased by 3-6%, while fasting insulin decreased by 20-31%.
- Exercise more
Exercise can be said to be the simplest and most effective method of improvement, as it can promote the consumption of glycogen and fat,
Improve the body’s ability to transport and output them, and consume some sugar through exercise,
This reduces the workload of insulin and is beneficial for improving their sensitivity.
In the analysis of the Finnish diabetes prevention study, people who walk at least 2.5 hours a week,
Compared with people less than one hour, the risk of diabetes was reduced by 63-69%.
Not only aerobic, anti group training, and HIIT, but also exercise methods that can effectively enhance insulin sensitivity,
Studies have shown that just one week of regular exercise can yield results.
So choose a sport you enjoy and do 30 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic exercise at least 5 days a week,
Or at least 3 days a week, do hiit for 20 minutes each time. As long as you persist in doing it, the total amount of time will increase, and it will produce benefits.
In summary, insulin is important for maintaining health. Do not dislike it just because you hear it will stop fat breakdown,
Compared with it, we need to be more alert to insulin resistance. Once it fails, obesity, inflammation, and diabetes all occur.
Pay more attention to diet and exercise in daily life, and be sure to have good habits.