Learn how insulin works and control your weight permanently

Type 2 diabetes, obesity, overweight, hyperinsulinemia, insulin resistance, hypoglycemia… all these concepts have a common root: insulin.

Often, an obese or overweight person is characterized by what is known as hyperinsulinemia (when the amount of insulin in the blood is higher than what is considered normal);

or have insulin resistance (when muscle, fat, and liver cells do not respond well to insulin and cannot absorb glucose from the blood easily. Result: the pancreas produces much more insulin to help glucose enter the cells);

or high blood sugar levels (hyperglycemia, which is seen in people with uncontrolled diabetes through testing) and which eventually results in type 2 diabetes. 

Insulin is what controls the balance of sugar in the body. Insulin has several functions in our body, but today we are interested in knowing how it works to regulate blood sugar, since it determines whether we accumulate fat in the body or not, and what you can do to maintain those healthy levels.

Let's be clear about the cases in which insulin is produced

There are several concepts that may seem confusing, but we will get to know them and you will see that it is not so complex. In this way, you will be able to have better control of your weight, unless there is a genetic influence or another underlying cause or you suffer from type 1 diabetes, the treatment for which is a little different.

1. Every time we eat carbohydrates, our blood sugar automatically increases and the pancreas releases insulin to lower it or return it to normal levels.
2. When consuming protein. Yes, insulin is also released and it is through a process called gluconeogenesis in which non-carbohydrate substrates (lactate, amino acids and glycerol) are transformed into glucose; although not as much as when carbohydrates are consumed.  Even worse, it has been found that consuming carbohydrates with a lot of protein releases twice as much insulin. ( 1 )
3. By the simple act of eating. Blood sugar increases when eating because some gastrointestinal hormones such as epinephrine, growth hormone and cortisol are activated during this process.
4. When we get stressed. When we get stressed, the adrenal glands produce cortisol, the hormone that sets off alarms in the body, causing blood sugar to immediately rise and, therefore, the pancreas to try to calm things down by producing insulin.
5. Exception: when consuming fat, the pancreas does not receive a signal and, consequently, does not release insulin or only a practically imperceptible amount.

The latter is why ketogenic cycling (higher percentage of healthy fat, moderate amount of protein and very low amount of carbohydrates) is very effective in reversing problems with high blood sugar.

The fact that the pancreas produces insulin is not bad, in fact, when you exercise or do a lot of physical activity, consuming a food that makes your pancreas produce insulin helps your body absorb nutrients, replenish muscle integrity and maintain it, instead of using your muscle tissues and fibers.

Food path and where the problem with insulin can arise

• The food is ingested.
• The food reaches the intestine where it is absorbed into the bloodstream in the form of glucose, amino acids or fat.

• Once the pancreas detects glucose in the blood (for the reasons we mentioned above: eating; consuming carbohydrates; consuming protein; consuming carbohydrates with excess protein), it releases insulin to keep blood sugar regulated. That is, insulin tells cells throughout the body to absorb glucose for energy.
• Img. National Institute of Diabetes (INADI)

This is where the problem can occur.  In reality, type 2 diabetes is the consequence of a long process in which insulin production has been abused, by eating food all the time, consuming sugars or mixing sugars with high amounts of protein and suddenly, adding a good dose of stress. To such an extent that the cells that are supposed to absorb glucose no longer respond to the insulin signal because of its intensity.

That is, imagine that you (your cells) are in a WhatsApp group called “Food” and every time something to eat appears (glucose) you receive notifications (insulin) because that is one of the functions of insulin: to notify that there is glucose available. But there are so many notifications and all the time that you block the notifications (insulin resistance).  After a while you start to get hungry, but you don't even know if there is food available, so you complain to the group administrator (pancreas).  Since you are a good customer, the pancreas tries hard to send you more notifications, that is, to produce extra insulin (prediabetes) every time glucose enters the bloodstream, but since you or your cells have blocked the notifications, you do not receive them and the pancreas finally gets tired and no longer sends you any more, this is what is called type 2 diabetes.

You can reverse and normalize your sugar levels

This is the good news and the best thing is that the same things that made you sick can make you well. All you have to do is learn which foods to give your body and when so that, instead of making you sick, they will enhance your health.

Img. Chilean Society of Obesity

In this case, what we want is to restore insulin sensitivity , that is, to make your cells aware of the presence and notifications of insulin in order to take the glucose available in the bloodstream and be able to use it efficiently as energy again. If insulin stays there and the glucose is not absorbed and used, it will be stored as fat. That is why many overweight and obese people have high blood sugar levels.

What you can do

At the nutritional level ,

• Fasting because it relieves the pancreas in its production of insulin, causing the body to use the glucose stored in glycogen stores (glucose reserves stored in the muscles and liver). When the body or cell requires an emergency energy supply, such as in cases of stress or alert, glycogen is broken down again into glucose , which is available for energy metabolism .  When we run out of glycogen, the body will use stored fat. This is where the implementation of intermittent fasting works very well.

• Cycle through ketogenic diets by reducing carbohydrate intake to a minimum.

• Reduce inflammation. Because cells are not allowing insulin to signal that there is glucose ready for them to feed on, one of the side effects of insulin being scattered around various parts of the body and not doing its job is a lot of inflammation. In this case, by reducing carbohydrate consumption we help reduce the inflammation caused by insulin resistance.

• Include vegetables with high fiber content
• Use spices in your meals.

At the body level ,

• Increase physical activity by going for a walk or doing other outdoor exercise, such as running or cycling.

• Weight-bearing strength training is highly effective. According to an April 2021 article in Nature , resistance exercise exerts beneficial effects on glycemic control, which may be mediated by exercise-induced humoral factors released into the bloodstream.

• Thermotherapy: sauna and very cold showers. A study published by the National Library of Medicine in the United States indicates how to use heat therapy through tools such as the sauna, inipi or Turkish bath since studies in humans indicate that heat therapy reduces fasting blood sugar, glycosylated hemoglobin, body weight and adiposity.

As for cryotherapy or cold therapy, by increasing insulin sensitivity, cold exposure can cause nutrients to be directed to the muscles more effectively; fat to be burned by brown adipose tissue more efficiently; systemic inflammation to be reduced; insulin-related diseases to be reduced; and improved nutrient partitioning and glycogen (storage carbohydrate) storage to occur. Cold stress amplifies insulin sensitivity, moving nutrients away from fat tissue and toward muscle.

• Improve sleep quality: According to the Sleep Foundation, even partial sleep deprivation for one night increases insulin resistance, which in turn can increase blood sugar levels. Consequently, lack of sleep has been strongly associated with diabetes, a blood sugar disorder.

• Control stress levels: It has been proven that chronic stress is associated with insulin resistance and that it also contributes to its development. ( study )

In my blog The Art of Healing you will find specialized articles that propose actions to achieve each of the points mentioned.

Foods to include in your diet

1. Soluble fiber (retains water) such as freshly ground flax seeds and chia seeds will slow down the absorption of sugar into the blood.
2. Green leafy vegetables
3. Tomatoes
4. Citrus (lemon, grapefruit, lemon)
5. Forest fruits
6. Aromatic
7. Filtered water
8. Use apple cider vinegar

• Turmeric: It is effective in reducing glycemia and hyperlipidemia in rodent models and is relatively cheap and safe. ( study )
• Ginger: Improves fasting blood sugar levels ( study )
• Cayenne pepper: A Hungarian study with human subjects published in the March 18, 2006, issue of the "European Journal of Pharmacology" reported that ingestion of capsaicin (found in red chili peppers such as cayenne pepper) stimulated glucose absorption in the small intestine.
• Significantly improves fasting blood sugar levels. ( study )

11. Consider some supplements that support balance in insulin production:

• Vitamin D3 and K2 Individual or combined supplementation with vitamins D3 and K2 significantly decreases glucose levels and the % of functional pancreatic beta cells, while treatments with D3 and D3 + K2 also induced a reduction in the uOC/cOC (carboxylated osteocalcin) ratio ( study ).

• Omega-3: Omega-3 PUFAs are bioactive lipids that have beneficial effects on human health due to their anti-inflammatory properties. Insulin resistance is strictly linked to inflammatory pathways which, in turn, are associated with ER stress, ROS production and impaired mitochondrial function/dynamic behavior. Indeed, excess lipids resulting from chronic overfeeding negatively affect the function of cellular organelles such as the ER and mitochondria, which are no longer considered discrete intracellular organelles but share interrelated roles in the onset of insulin resistance, as confirmed by the fact that MAM integrity is necessary for insulin signaling. ( study )

• Magnesium: Magnesium is necessary for both proper glucose utilization and insulin signaling. Metabolic disturbances in cellular magnesium, which may play the role of second messenger for insulin action, contribute to insulin resistance. ( study )

• Potassium: If your potassium levels are too low, your body may produce less insulin. This can cause your blood sugar to rise. Studies show that people with low potassium levels release less insulin, have higher blood sugar levels, and are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than those with normal potassium levels. ( study )

12. Foods to avoid:

1. Soda and other sugary drinks, as well as alcohol and beer, especially.
2. Starchy vegetables such as potatoes, corn and squash.
3. Processed and sugary snacks such as cakes, ice cream and chocolate bars.
4. Refined grains such as pasta, white bread and rice.
5. Cow's dairy products, especially milk.
6. Fried foods.

Cheer up, your body will thank you!