What about Insulin Resistance?

What does insulin do?

Its job it to help your cells get glucose so that you can have energy. This is done all throughout the body. When you eat, the carbohydrates in your digestive system are broken down to glucose to be moved into your bloodstream. Once there, it is met by insulin where the glucose and insulin can partner up and head on over to your cells to give them energy. Upon approaching the cell, the insulin holds the key to essentially open the door to the cell for the glucose to enter and be used/stored as energy.

So, what is insulin sensitivity and resistance?

In the simplest terms, insulin resistance is when your cells essentially change the locks without providing a new key to the insulin. The amount of insulin in the blood stream is dependent of the amount of glucose in the blood stream, and this is released by the pancreas. However, when you’re insulin resistant, some of your cells, that the insulin & glucose are travelling to, don’t want the glucose that is being brought to them. This means that the glucose stays in your blood stream for longer, and the pancreas sends out more and more insulin to deal with the glucose.
Insulin sensitivity refers to how responsive your cells are to insulin. So improving sensitivity means reducing resistance.

What causes insulin sensitivity and resistance?

Unfortunately, that question is complex and isn’t so simple to answer, although research has shown some contributing factors:
– Nutritional deficiencies (such a magnesium, manganese, and b vitamins)
– Excess visceral, and abdominal fat
– Increased oxidative stress
– Mitochondrial dysfunction
– Increased inflammation
– Hormonal birth control
– Chronic stress

What does it feel like?

Because the body is complex, there can be many reasons why you may experience some of the following symptoms, but they’re worth considering if you believe you may have insulin resistance.
These include:
– Poor healing
– Poor muscle gains/body composition
– Hard to lose weight/ very easy to gain weight
– Poor immunity/ regular illnesses
– Brain fog
– Sleep disturbances
– Waking in the middle of the night to pee
– Mild fluid retention/ feeling ‘round’ in the face
– Depression/anxiety and mood disorders
– Fatigue/tiredness
– High waist-to-hip ratio
– Skin tags

Testing for insulin resistance

Blood test
The best way to clinically test for insulin resistance is a Glucose Tolerance with Insulin Assay or Glucose Tolerance Insulin Response (GTIR). For this test, both glucose and insulin are measured during fasting, and then at the one- and two-hour mark after consuming a glucose drink.
A healthy insulin level whilst fasting should be less than 10 mIU/L (60 pmol/L). One and two hours after a sugar challenge, to have a healthy insulin reading, it should be below 60 mIU/L (410 pmol/L). If insulin levels are higher than this, it indicates insulin resistance.

Waist measurement
Insulin resistance causes a high waist-to-hip ratio, meaning that the larger your waist circumference, the more likely it is that you will have insulin resistance. However, this doesn’t mean you have to be overweight to have insulin resistance, you can still have this, even with a normal BMI. Your risk for insulin resistance starts at a circumference more than 80cm.

So how can you work to fix this?

Diet
Work to balance out your meals to reduce high glucose spikes. Ensure that your meals have a relatively even balance of protein, fats, and carbohydrates. Eating whole food carbohydrates are normally full of fibre, which also reduces these spikes (think vegetables, beans, lentils, and whole grains like quinoa, barley, and even fruit!).
The Mediterranean diet has shown to have positive effects on insulin resistance as it is largely filled with whole, fibrous foods, has substantial anti-inflammatory effects on the body, and is low in processed foods.
Reduce your intake of sugary drinks, such as soft drinks and juices as these can cause large glucose spikes.

Supplementation
Magnesium is a common deficiency in today’s society, and is a significant contributor to insulin resistance, and supplementation of it improves insulin sensitivity.
Taurine is an antioxidant amino acid that the brain also uses as a calming neurotransmitter. It is largely supportive for the mitochondria to prevent harmful production of reactive oxygen species ( a by-product of metabolism that is unstable and cause inflammation and damage if left unchecked). Simply put, taurine helps to calm our nervous system and reduce inflammation thereby improving insulin resistance.
There are other nutritional deficiencies that should be considered such as manganese, and chromium. Please consult your health professional before choosing any supplementation to see if it is right for you.
You can also supplement with herbal remedies which help address your various systems to offer you extra support with your stress, cravings, oxidative stress, and inflammation (to name a few).

Exercise
I know, I know, I dislike that everyone tells me to exercise too, but it is such a crucial aspect of healthy functioning for many systems in the body, including improving insulin sensitivity! Just like with diet, it is best to take a balanced approach to exercise by doing a mixture of strength training and aerobic exercise (such as walking, yoga, or even HIIT) during your week. I also understand some of these aren’t everyone’s cup of tea. So, I’d recommend to find something (or a couple some things) that makes you happy and that you love, and to try to do them about 2-3 times a week for at least 30 minutes.

Stress control/management
Cortisol, the “stress hormone” plays an important role when it comes to regulating your blood sugar levels and turning food into energy. Of course, too much of anything isn’t good, and excess cortisol can counteract the effects of insulin, causing resistance.
Its important to adopt stress management techniques into your daily routine to provide yourself with tools for managing current stress or build habits for when future stressors arise.
Some helpful techniques are:
– Meditation
– Yoga/Pilates or other exercise for that matter
– Making time for yourself and your hobbies
– Journaling
– Practicing deep breathing/recentering yourself throughout the day
– Talk therapy
– Self care (proper sleep, hygiene, and eating)
– Setting boundaries in your work and personal life.

A note on safety: The information provided is not medical advice, nor is it intended to replace a consultation with a medical professional. Please inform your physician of any changes you make to your diet or lifestyle and discuss these changes with them. If you have questions or concerns about any medical conditions you may have, please contact your physician.

 

 

References

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DiNicolantonio, J. J., O’Keefe, J. H., & Wilson, W. (2018). Subclinical magnesium deficiency: a principal driver of cardiovascular disease and a public health crisis. Open Heart, 5(1), e000668. https://doi.org/10.1136/openhrt-2017-000668

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