Incredible Insulin! It has a big role in your health and diabetes!

We are heading into spring – the season of cleaning! For many this means cleaning out your house, getting rid of all the accumulated stuff from the holidays and the end of the year. It also means cleaning out what you are eating and your body. 

This is a time when women, especially, think about losing weight and maybe going on a diet. Of course, changing what and how you eat may be a great idea – but only if you are committed to making consistent and “permanent” changes to the way you are eating.

With diabetes, you know that a small amount of weight loss can help lower blood sugar levels. It’s important to remember that weight loss is multifaceted – it is not just about the food you eat or the energy you burn.

One aspect you need to know and respect about your body is how systems are regulated. There are many mechanisms. The one we will focus on this month is hormones.

First up, Insulin! We talk a lot about insulin with type 2 diabetes. Insulin sensitivity, insulin resistance, avoiding or having to take insulin for blood sugar control. 

Insulin has many roles. Its’ big overall goal is to keep you alive. It is the survival hormone. Without it, we would not be able to absorb and use the nutrients from the food we eat.

Back in the day when we went from feast or famine, insulin would store the extra fuel as fat in preparation for the next famine. It works by getting blood sugar or glucose OUT of the blood stream and into the cells where they can use it to do their work.

When you have too much fuel on board, the system goes a bit haywire. The cells close and lock their doors because they can’t take any more fuel. Because there is still too much glucose in the blood stream, your pancreas keeps working to put out more insulin. Eventually, the pancreas can’t make anymore insulin and then you must get it from external sources. 

Insulin is also known as the fat hormone. When there is too much glucose in the blood stream, insulin directs the excess glucose to be stored as fat. Most of this fat is stored in the abdominal cavity and is known as visceral fat. This fat causes trouble because of where it is located and the substances it gives off which add inflammation to organs close by.

What can you do to support the work of insulin?

1. Decrease the amount of carbohydrates you are eating and drinking. Start with the obvious stuff like cake, cookies – sugar; sodas and coffee drinks with sugar.
2. Increase your physical activity – walk more, ride a bike, dance, swim. This is important for more than your diabetes but will definitely help reduce insulin resistance which leads to diabetes.
3. Take care of the microbiome (bacteria) in your digestive tract. Your microbiome is responsible for your immune function, some neurotransmitters (chemical messengers in your brain) and how your food is digested and absorbed. You can take probiotics or eat fermented foods like kefir, yogurt, sauerkraut, miso and kimchi.

Yours in Health
Dr Elaine

 Please download my free guide to managing type 2 diabetes.

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This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace the medical advice of your doctor or healthcare provider. Please consult your healthcare provider for advice about a specific medical condition.

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