The dangers of insulin resistance-Chronic Disease

December 4, 2022

Contrary to what most people have been told, elevated cholesterol is not the villain it has been made out to be.

Health Conditions Related to Insulin Resistance

An estimated ~40% of world adults have prediabetes; ~30% will go on to develop full-blown type 2 diabetes. In addition, up to 80% of people with type 2 diabetes have NAFLD. But those aren’t the only threats posed by insulin resistance.

Thanks to years of high insulin levels followed by an onslaught of cell-damaging high blood sugar, people with insulin resistance, prediabetes and type 2 diabetes are at high risk for cardiovascular disease. Insulin resistance doubles your risk for heart attack and stroke – and triples the odds that your heart attack or ‘brain attack’ will be deadly, according to the International Diabetes Federation.

Meanwhile, insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome are also linked with higher risk for cancers of the bladder, breast, colon, cervix, pancreas, prostate and uterus.

The connection - High insulin levels early in insulin resistance seem to fuel the growth of tumors and to suppress the body’s ability to protect itself by killing off malignant cells.

Research has also found a strong association between insulin resistance and memory function decline, increasing the risk for Alzheimer’s disease.

Unfortunately, many people are chasing the wrong criminal when it comes to improving health outcomes.

The medical literature is exploding with the dangers of insulin resistance and the increase of cardiovascular disease and other silent chronic disease villains that are associated with insulin resistance.

It is reported that chronic insulin resistance is also associated with various types of cancer such as colorectal cancer, pancreatic cancer, endometrial cancer, and breast cancer.

Insulin resistance generally occurs when cells in your muscles, fat, and liver have been over exposed to high blood sugars and insulin. Because of this over exposure, they develop resistance to insulin to don't properly use glucose from your blood for energy.

Some Signs of Insulin Resistance Include:

  • A waistline over 40 inches in men and 35 inches in women
  • Blood pressure readings of 130/80 or higher
  • A fasting glucose level over 100 mg/dL
  • A fasting triglyceride level over 150 mg/dL
  • Fasting insulin greater than 6
  • A HDL cholesterol level under 40 mg/dL in men and 50 mg/dL in women
  • Skin tags
  • Patches of dark, velvety skin called acanthosis nigricans.

Effective Treatment for Insulin Resistance

Carbohydrates such as simple sugars, grains and starchy vegetables should be avoided as they stimulate insulin secretion. They should be replaced with higher protein containing foods and non starchy vegetables.

Adequate vitamin D intake is critical to maintain normal blood sugars as well as to facilitate over 2000 processes in the body. Studies indicate that, in the San Francisco Bay Area, it is generally necessary to take in around 4-5000iu per day to stay at an optimum level.

Aerobic and resistance training--High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) -- has been found to be superior to low intensity cardio. I suggest that people completely out of shape to work their way up to HIIT. Start out slow. Some exercise is better than none.

Take Berberine supplements. This extract of the famous Chinese herb Huang Lian, has been shown to have fabulous glucose lowering properties.

Insulin resistance should be taken very seriously. The implications for insulin resistance being associated with increased cardiovascular disease and cancer is overwhelming. The following robust list of peer reviewed citations should be reviewed.

Compliments from Functional Medicine Universitywww.FunctionalMedicineUniversity.com

In addition to the suggestions listed above, Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal formulas have been used to effectively treat insulin and blood sugar imbalances for 100s of years. If you are concerned, schedule an appointment with us to order the appropriate tests and labs.

References:

https://cardiab.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12933-018-0762-4

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC380256/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31336505/

https://www.nature.com/articles/nrendo.2014.29

Insulin Resistance and Cancer

https://www.hindawi.com/journals/jdr/2012/789174/

https://erc.bioscientifica.com/view/journals/erc/19/5/F1.xml

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6520736/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3719226/

https://clinical.diabetesjournals.org/content/36/3/217

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10683091/

HIIT and Insulin Resistance

https://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/26/4/1147

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15319146/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6470576/

Berberine and Insulin Resistance

Writen by Dr. John Nieters, DAOM, L.Ac, M.Sc. CFMP