Insulin, a hormone made in the pancreas, works in tandem with Glucagon to regular blood glucose levels. This hormones enables your body to use glucose for energy. Glucose is a type of sugar found in carbohydrates we consume as part of our meals.
After a meal or snack, your digestive tract breaks down carbohydrates & converts that into glucose which is then transported into the bloodstream through lining in your small intestine. Once glucose is in your bloodstream, Insulin comes into picture & signals all the cells in your body to absorb glucose to generate energy which is used for daily chores. This results in reducing your blood sugar levels.
Insulin helps balance your glucose levels. When you have excess/too much glucose in your bloodstream, insulin signals your body to store excess glucose in the liver. The stored glucose remains untouched until your blood sugar level decreases such as between meals or when you are stressed &/or your body needs extra energy.
When your body does not make enough insulin or does not use insulin properly, the condition is referred to as Diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is autoimmune disease. In such a scenario, your body attacks itself & cannot make insulin. Our immune system destroys insulin producing cells in the pancreas. People suffering from type 1 diabetes get injected with insulin externally to control glucose levels.
Cells sometimes stop responding to insulin correctly, referred to as insulin resistance. In such cases, your pancreas produces even more insulin to keep blood sugar level under control which results in high insulin levels in your blood. This is referred to as hyperinsulinemia. Over a period of time, your cells become increasingly resistant to insulin leading to high insulin & blood sugar levels. After all, your pancreas gets damaged resulting in decreased insulin production which further leads to an increase in blood sugar level. Once your blood sugar level exceeds the threshold, you are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.
Insulin resistance vs insulin sensitivity
If you have insulin resistance, you have low insulin sensitivity & vice versa. As discussed above, insulin resistance is harmful for your health & well being however insulin sensitivity is good for your health.
High insulin sensitivity allows your cells to use blood sugar more effectively requires production of less insulin & reducing blood sugar level. One of the best ways to be insulin sensitive is to indulge in a lot of physical activity. Other ways to improve insulin sensitivity include:
- Get More Sleep
- Reduce Stress
- Eat More Soluble Fiber. This also helps in feeding beneficial bacteria to your gut.
- Add Herbs and Spices to Your Cooking.
- Add Cinnamon.
Metabolism moves from using glucose to burning fat when there is a drop in both insulin and leptin levels. Insulin works to decrease blood sugar levels by moving glucose out of the blood and into neighboring cells where it can be used directly as fuel or stored as body fat.
How is Insulin resistance caused?
There are numerous reasons that leads to insulin resistance:
- Increased level of fat on the blood
- High amount of free fatty acids in your blood stops cells from properly responding to insulin. The main reason for high free fatty acids is eating too many calories & carrying excess body fat. Ultimately, overweight, obesity & weight gain are all linked with insulin resistance. Visceral fat or belly fat releases free fatty acids into your blood as well as inflammatory hormones that are a source of insulin resistance.
- High fructose intake( added sugar) & inflammation has been strongly linked to insulin resistance.
- Harmful Gut bacteria, disruption in your gut bacterial environment result in insulin resistance and other metabolic problems
