Michelle
The Truth About Insulin
Insulin is a powerful hormone. Primarily it pushes glucose out of the blood and into muscle, where it is converted into energy. It plays a critical role in blood sugar balance, weight management, and many other important health factors.
When blood sugar goes up, the pancreas releases insulin to deal with the sugar, but it often over-reacts by releasing too much insulin. Then our blood sugar goes down, often way down, and so we eat more carbs to bring it up again. And then the pancreas releases more insulin—and on it goes.
Things like alcohol, pastries, candy, ice cream, pie, cake, refined flour products like bread, bagels, and pasta, and starches such as white potatoes and white rice rapidly break down to sugar and quickly enter the bloodstream where it causes insulin to spike. “It doesn’t take much to cause your blood sugar to go up,” says Ron Rosedale, M.D. He notes that one saltine cracker can take blood sugar to over 100, and in many people it can cause it to go over 150.12
When insulin becomes overabundant, the normal, target cells in the muscles and liver will no longer recognize it. When this happens on a continual basis, you have a bunch of insulin floating around in your bloodstream all the time. When insulin becomes the dominant, active hormone, it triggers a hormone imbalance that sets the stage for weight gain, obesity, Type II diabetes, and even cancer.
Insulin Resistance
Once glucose is in your blood, insulin carries it to the trillions of cells in your body. When you are more insulin sensitive, your body will do a much better job of shuttling glucose (blood sugar) into your cells. The “open doors” of your cells allow this fuel in where it is used for energy. How easily glucose is shuttled in means how sensitive your cells are to insulin.13
When your cells are not sensitive to insulin, insulin levels go up. Target cells will develop what is termed insulin resistance, which leads to hyperinsulinemia. When your cells are insulin resistant, your body must contend with extra “free roaming” glucose that can’t get into your cells. Some of this will be stored as fat and lead to weight gain. Without insulin sensitivity, you may struggle with your weight continually over a lifetime.14
In light of these factors, it is vitally important to stick faithfully with a low-carb diet, not only to facilitate weight loss, but also to prevent premature aging and disease. To assess your sensitivity, see the Insulin Resistance Quiz.
I want to pass along a bit of my experience with regard to diabetes. I have been taking coconut oil for several months. I first started cooking with it and replacing the vegetable oils in my home. Then I started taking it by the spoonful—about 2 tablespoons daily. I was diagnosed as a Type 2 diabetic in July of 2001 and immediately put on medication. I have been looking for a way to reverse this condition since diagnosed. I have found a world of info out there on various supplements and diet, but not from my doctor who just said “Welcome to the club!” and told me to take my meds. He also sent me to a nutritionist to take diabetic classes.
Bottom line is this: I have been able to work with my doctor to slowly remove myself from the medication and control my blood sugar by diet, supplements, and with coconut oil. I am now off the medication. I do still check my blood sugar levels once or twice daily, and they are as good, usually better than when I was taking the drugs.
I hope this may help someone. God Bless all.
Sharon
The Insulin Resistance Quiz: How Insulin Resistant Are You?
PART 1
1 Do you spend more time than you’d like to worrying about your weight?(Score 1 for yes, o for no.)
2 Do you feel sleepy or fatigued an hour or two after eating?(Score 1 for yes, o for no.)
3 Do you experience anxiety or panic attacks?(Score 1 for yes, o for no.)
4 Score 1 point for every symptom you have from the list below:Abnormal triglycerides or cholesterol levelsBinge eating, uncontrollable cravingsBloating or abdominal gasChronic fatigueChronic indigestionsDepression that comes and goesFood/chemical allergiesGastrointestinal (digestive tract) problemsHeart trouble (heart attack, congestive heart failure, etc)Hypertension (high blood pressure)Inability to lose weight on a low fat dietInfertility/irregular menstrual periodsMental confusion or “brain fog”Obesity (20 percent or more, over your ideal weight)
Total Part 1
PART 2
1 Measure your waist and hips. Divide your waist measurement, by your hip measurement.Women: If the result is .8 or more, score 10 pointsMen: If the result is 1.0 or more, score 10 points
2 Give yourself one point for every blood relative who has diabetes.
3 By how many pounds are you over weight?
4 Give yourself 1 point for every time you’ve gone on a diet.
Total part 2
Total part 1 and 2
Interpreting the results
Part 1: The maximum possible score is 20. The higher your score, the greater the likelihood that you will benefit from the lifestyle changes outlined in this book.
Part 2: There is no maximum score. If you recorded a 10 in answer to the first question, you are by definition insulin resistant. If you scored the first question as 0 but your total in part 2 is 15 or more, you have reason to be concerned.
A total for both parts of 35 or more tells you it’s time to take action.
This test is taken from Blood Sugar Blues, Miryam Ehrlich Williamson.15
How to Improve Insulin Sensitivity
Insulin sensitivity can be restored to a healthful state, which not only results in weight loss, but also in improved health. The right diet like the Coconut Diet is key to improving insulin sensitivity. There’s no magic bullet involved—it’s good choices made daily that will make all the difference. Here’s what you can do:
Avoid sweets and other simple carbohydrates (refined grains and starches); this is one of the most important steps you can take.
Avoid artificial sweeteners and nicotine as they cause an increase in insulin. A diet soda or artificial sweetener in your coffee, even though it has no calories, sends confusing signals to your body. Though these artificial sweeteners do not cause blood sugar levels to rise, they can cause insulin levels to increase, which can lead to low blood sugar, weakness, hunger, and ultimately insulin resistance.16 You may think that you are serving your weight loss goals by choosing artificial, non-calorie sweeteners, but in fact, you can be setting yourself up for a life-long struggle with weight management due to insulin resistance and an increased appetite caused by the artificial sweeteners.
Cut back on coffee. Drinking just two cups of coffee per day has been shown to increase levels of the stress hormone Cortisol. When this hormone is elevated, it can have adverse effects on the immune