Heather Bedard, C.H.E.
Pardon my cheesy titles. I just can't help myself. However, if you have been dabbling in the health world for any amount of time, you'll know that insulin resistance is the hot topic. The focus on this is fueling an ever-growing market for glucose monitors, food pairing instruction, and blood sugar trackers for the general population. What was once the scope of practice for diabetics only, is now commonplace for a growing number of people. This interest is motivated by many things including wanting to maintain a healthy weight, learn how to eat properly, slow down aging, prevent diabetes etc... This is a broad topic so we will cover it generally in three parts and I encourage you to check out the concierge membership for more personal and in-depth instruction on this topic!
To begin, we first need to understand, at a very foundational level, what happens in our body when we eat. When we consume food, our body uses the food as energy for our cells and extracts nutrients to maintain a balance of vitamins and minerals in our body. This balance depends greatly on what is needed moment to moment. At a macro level your food is made up of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. Carbohydrates are broken down quickly into glucose and are good for quick energy, which is why they are consumed by runners and athletes before performance to give them the quick boost that they need.
At a very basic level, for example, when you eat a potato, your body begins to digest it releasing glucose (a type of sugar) into your blood. This causes a spike in blood sugar. This is a signal to your pancreas to release a hormone called insulin to deliver this energy to the cells for them to use or store. This also helps to keep the glucose from accumulating in your blood. Gluscose accumulation is a precursor to type II diabetes.
One of the reasons it is so important to limit your intake of foods with processed sugar is that this sugar is what is called a simple sugar. It's made from one to two sugar molecules. It is separated from the fiber and nutrients that go along with, say a whole sugar cane, and hits your blood stream quickly. This causes a quick spike in blood sugar and then a crash as your body releases insulin to bring it back to normal levels. Although an optimal diet is high in carbohydrates, these carbohydrates come in the form of whole plant foods which consist of complex carbohydrates. These carbohydrates are made of three or more sugar molecules which don’t break down as easily, and they are combined with fiber slowing the release of sugar in the body.
Let’s get back to the insulin resistance. This becomes an issue primarily when people over-eat or eat a diet high in processed sugars, and fat. These types of foods are high in calories and low in fiber, and to achieve satiety people over-eat. With the increase in calories, comes an increase of energy, and when insulin comes knocking at the door of the cells, the cells already have the energy they need and reject it. This causes an accumulation of sugar in the blood and causes the pancreas to release more insulin. Like a vicious cycle this continues until your cells are ready to accept more energy and wreaks havoc on your hormones and organs in your body.
One study on rats that has an association with human function, is a study that looked at rats who were fed a high fat diet of 10% lard.[1] This was a 50% increase from how much fat they ate normally. The rats who were fed this diet had a decrease in the ability of insulin in the brain to regulate the release of fatty acids and the release of glucose from the liver. This caused an increase in blood sugar. As I mentioned above, this result is a precursor to type II diabetes.
This is just one of many reasons why it is so important that you listen to your body and not over-eat. This is an excellent skill to develop and one that isn’t taught much. Slow down your eating, don’t eat on the go, and allow your body to be in a state of rest when you do. Eating plant foods massively increases your fiber intake and it’s almost impossible to overeat. Your digestion and pancreas will thank you!
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[1] Scherer T, Lindtner C, Zielinski E et al “Short-Term Voluntary Overfeeding Disrupts Brain Insulin Control of Adipose Tissue Lipolysis.” J. Biolog. Chem Sept 2012 vol 287 pp33061-33069
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