LifeCare Chiropractic

The Best Chiropractic Care in Mesa, Arizona

insulin

MORE EVIDENCE THAT INSULIN CONTRIBUTES TO DIABETES

by

When it comes to hormones, there are levels that are optimal and levels that wreak havoc.  Certainly insulin falls into this category.  This is confirmed by the ACCORD trials, where diabetics used insulin more aggressively, but the trial was stopped because these subjects using aggressive insulin were dying 40% faster.

The problem with diabetes has never been about the insulin.  Certainly our body’s ability to produce insulin from the beta cells of the pancreas is an integral component to the progression of diabetes.  This is why a prediabetic finally tips over into diabetes–because the pancreas can no longer produce the elevated insulin required to compensate for the real problem.

The relationship between the cells and insulin is the most important component of the diabetic / prediabetic process.  Anything that improves that relationship (exercise, wise dietary choices, targeted supplementation) is good and anything that harms (stress, environmental chemicals, poor quality diets) is bad.  While metformin does improve this relationship, it does so ONLY in the liver.  I had a patient come in recently who was put on metformin because it helped insulin do its work in the heart.  This is NOT true and she was mislead.

So…on to this particular study.  This study looked at what happened to diabetics who underwent the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass and found that two important things happened.

First, the diabetes went away based on blood glucose.  Second, insulin levels decreased dramatically.  So, lower insulin = lower blood sugar.  Somewhat opposite of what we normally think, huh?

But, insulin resistance, the situation that created the diabetes in the first place, was unchanged.

A few comments on this.  First, don’t run out and schedule your bypass surgery today to get rid of your diabetes.  We’ve seen studies using a very low calorie diet get insulin dependent diabetics off their insulin in a week.  And the bypass surgery will forever alter your body’s absorption and utilization of nutrients and may increase your risk of colorectal cancer, which the low calorie diet does not do.

Second, without the insulin resistance being fixed through the proper lifestyle changes, it is very possible that this is why studies show a high percentage of patients end up with regain of weight in the following years.

More than anything, though, this shows how powerful the things we put into our mouths can be.  In the case of the bypass surgery, there is no question that the caloric intake is drastically reduced, although many are not educated on the quality of foods to be eaten.  And yet, the affect on glucose handling is, without a doubt, powerful. 

So, do not EVER discount the power of diet to modify our progression to our away from diabetes.  Medications did not achieve this.  While this study used surgery, the outcome can be done without permanently modifying the way your digestive system works.

Read more…

DO YOU ADD THIS TO YOUR FOOD?

by

Variety is the spice of life.  They certainly got the spice part right on this one.  It amazes me how many people miss an opportunity to add culinary delight to meal after meal by adding spices.

When we talk “spice” it does not necessarily mean “spicy,” although it certainly could.  Spices like rosemary, thyme and basil do not make a dish spicy, but they absolutely liven up the flavor.  The list of spices and spice combinations are limited only by your imagination, palate, and occasionally, your sense of adventure.

The beautiful thing about spices is that they pack a massive wallop of phytonutrients for almost zero calories.  AND they taste great!  What more could you ask for?

This particular study looked at how a spiced up meal affected both markers of glucose metabolism and antioxidant status in the bloodstream.  Those eating the high spice meal had lower levels of insulin and triglycerides after the meal and twice the antioxidant level in the bloodstream.  This would unquestionably be part of an anti-diabetic lifestyle.

So load up on the spices on everything you eat.  You organic, grass few meats.  Your veggies.  Maybe just stick your tongue out and drop it directly on there..

A few notes, however.  Avoid MSG containing spice mixes at all costs.  And don’t waste the spices by taking them in a supplement (such as cinnamon).  Why miss out on what the spice can do to your meal?  And if you’re planning on grilling the veggies, lightly spray them with some olive oil so the spices with stick better..

Read more…

INSULIN IS A DANGEROUS HORMONE?

by

We need to start this out with the understanding that nothing in our bodies are inherently “bad” or “good.”  They ALL serve a purpose.  Saying that we need to lower our “bad” (LDL) cholesterol is fine and dandy if down with lifestyle, but if done with medications can increase the risk for depression, Alzheimer’s and probably a bunch of other stuff we’re not aware of yet.

So what about insulin?  Far too many diabetics think they can eat stuff they shouldn’t and just increase the insulin they give themselves.  In the ACCORD trial, researchers tried to give diabetics more and more insulin with the single goal of lowering HbA1C levels as far as possible.

Insulin, when released by the pancreas and functioning in a healthy human, is absolutely essential for health.  The goal with insulin is to have it work as as efficiently as possible (called insulin sensitivity) so our body needs to release as little as possible.  There are few aspects of human physiology more important than making sure insulin and the cells of our body play well together.  The less insulin needed, the better the insulin plays with the target cell, the longer we will live.  It’s that simple.

So, whether we are pre-diabetic, Type 1 diabetic, Type 2 diabetic or any other type of human, a lifestyle that improves the relationship between the cell and insulin is integral to health.  That means exercise–both aerobic and strength training.  And just walking is NOT going to be enough, unless you’re over 80.  That means avoiding as many environmental chemicals as possible–things like BPA in plastic water bottles worsen insulin action.  Stress reduction–stress increases cortisol, which sucks muscles and turns them into sugar.  Lots of fruits and veggies and spices.  NEVER drink your calories.  Calorie restriction without nutrient restriction–do you REALLY need that whip cream on top of the venti mocha?  Increased intake of healthy fats–nuts, seeds, wild caught fish, omega-3 eggs, grass fed meets.

This particular study just drives home the importance of the relationship between insulin and longevity.  The SIRT1 family of genes is related to living longer.  This is pretty well established.  It’s why resveratrol in red wine and calorie restriction work so well.  So, activation of SIRT1 will lead to a longer lifespan.

This particular study found that insulin actually suppressed activation of SIRT1.  NOT a good thing.  Again–making insulin act efficiently in your body means you will need less of it.  It means that using more insulin in diabetics will kill you, as we indeed saw with the ACCORD trial, which was stopped because participants were dying at a faster rate with lower HbA1c from insulin use.  It means poor lifestyle choices will rob you of years of healthy living.  Period.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0261561410002013