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July 25, 2005
Monitor Insulin to Ensure Fat Loss and to Prevent Heart Disease
Insulin problems are one of the main causes of heart disease in the United States, and doctors do a poor job of educating their patients about it. Your pancreas releases insulin to regulate glucose (sugar) levels in the blood, which rise after you eat carbohydrates. It also stimulates the storage of triglycerides and proteins. Then insulin signals the cells to absorb glucose from the bloodstream, energizing the cells and controlling the glucose levels in the blood. As soon as you use up your blood sugar, your liver begins releasing stored glucose to maintain a steady supply of energy.
Insulin makes the body more resistant to burning fat. It encourages the body to store extra fat, especially around the middle. It robs the body of energy by slowing the burning of fat for energy. Stated another way, it leaves you fat and tired.
If you have insulin resistance (a condition common among the obese), your tissues become less sensitive to insulin. Your cells do not take up enough glucose, meaning your pancreas must work overtime to produce extra insulin to achieve the same results. Over time, your pancreas becomes fatigued and stops producing enough insulin. This causes your glucose levels to climb abnormally high. When this occurs, you may be diagnosed with Type 2 or adult-onset diabetes. Many people show signs of insulin resistance for some time before their diabetes is diagnosed.
The further you get from your ideal weight, the more difficult it is for your body to manage your glucose levels. In addition, lack of exercise contributes to insulin problems. When you exercise regularly, muscle cells can handle insulin and glucose effectively. The less active you are and the less muscle tissue you have, the harder it is for the body to clear glucose from your bloodstream.
Insulin resistance isn’t just a blood sugar problem. It is also linked with a variety of other health concerns, including heart disease, high blood pressure, high levels of triglycerides, and low HDL (good) cholesterol, among others. Few doctors appreciate the importance of insulin in medical problems beyond diabetes.
Doctors can measure your insulin with a simple blood test. It’s alarming how few physicians actually do so.
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Posted by james at July 25, 2005 5:48 AM