Can Eating Sugar Really Make You Age Faster?
The levels of insulin in your blood may be the single most important chemical level affecting your health and wellness. Most are aware that insulin has something to do with regulating blood sugar, but what is less well-known is that insulin reaches almost every organ system in the body, and as the regulation and then levels of insulin in the blood get thrown off, its effects are generally detrimental, and in fact, most of the diseases of aging have direct relationships to the imbalance of this important chemical. The causes of insulin resistance lay mostly in dietary factors, and so does the remedy for insulin imbalance, or insulin resistance.
The primary purpose of insulin in the human body is to store excess nutrients. With the intake of sugar, when the body recognizes more sugar in the blood stream than is needed for the current activity level, insulin is released to initiate the storage. The first form of storage is glycogen storage in your liver and muscles, for the purpose of providing a quick boost of energy if needed. Evolutionarily, this could be thought of as energy for fight or flight if you are about to be eaten by a saber-toothed tiger. Glycogen stores fill quickly and then the body stores excess blood sugar as everyone’s favorite whipping boy, saturated fat. Backing up a little, excess sugar enters your bloodstream through the food you eat. The biggest blast of blood sugar comes from eating high-sugar foods, such as soft drinks and desserts; however, any carbohydrates, even complex carbohydrates, elevate the blood sugar level and therefore cause this storage process to be initiated. This of course then begs the question: Why on earth would you ever eat a high complex carbohydrate, low-saturated-fat diet? In essence, this makes no sense, as a high-complex-carbohydrate diet would simply cause your body to make plenty of saturated fat on its own.
Insulin touches every corner of your body and here is only a partial breakdown of its functions in the body:
-Storage of magnesium
-Retention of sodium
-Stimulates cell proliferation and division
-Stores sugar as fat
-Mediates blood lipids (i.e., triglycerides)
-Helps control the manufacture of cholesterol
-Helps control sex hormones (estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone)
-Controls growth hormone
-Elevates plasma non-esterified free fatty acid concentrations
-Increases hepatic (liver) secretion of VLDL (Very Low Density Lipoproteins)
As you can see, insulin has some important functions in the human body and without it you wouldn’t be long for this world. However, the key with insulin is to have a proper balance, and primarily to have only a small amount floating around in your bloodstream at any one time.
Insulin resistance, also known as type II diabetes or adult-onset diabetes, is a growing problem in the U.S. In 2000, according to the World Health Organization, at least 171 million people worldwide suffered from diabetes, or 2.8% of the population. Its incidence is increasing rapidly, and it is estimated that by the year 2030, this number will nearly double.
When sugar enters the blood stream, insulin is released and signals your cells to store the sugar first as glycogen and then as fat. The mechanism for this is that there are specific receptor sites for insulin on the membrane of each cell. When a molecule of insulin touches the receptor, a chain reaction takes place causing the cell to perform whatever functions it does when in the presence of insulin. Cell membranes have a self-regulating mechanism called up- or down-regulation of receptors. This literally means that they either create more (up-regulation) or fewer receptors (down-regulation) for a specific chemical, related to how much of it they are in contact with over time. In other words, when a cell is constantly bombarded with a chemical, it begins to down-regulate its receptors for that chemical and becomes less sensitive to it. This is similar to when you first enter a room with a strong smell, it is very noticeable, but after being in the room for some time your sense of smell accommodates (down-regulation) and you don’t notice it as much, but if you leave and then re-enter (up-regulation) you may then be strongly aware of the odor. In the case of insulin resistance, the cells are down-regulating their insulin receptors, and therefore they are less responsive to it in the bloodstream. However, even if the cells are resistant to the messages of insulin, your body still requires something to happen to the sugar floating in your blood, so your pancreas begins to secrete higher and higher amounts of insulin in order to achieve the same results. This is where the trouble really begins.
An overabundance of insulin in the human body has numerous detrimental effects:
-Decreases the cellular uptake of vitamin C. (A blood sugar level of 120 reduces the phagocytic index by 75%. The phagocytic index is a measure of how rapidly an immune cell can destroy a virus, bacteria, or cancer cell.)
-Your cells become resistant to magnesium, which causes your blood vessels to constrict, which causes your blood pressure to rise.
-Raises triglyceride, and LDL levels
-Leads to coronary artery disease (CAD) causing blood to clot too readily.
-Causes conversion of macrophages (a type of white blood cell) into foam cells, constricting arteries, and stimulating the sympathetic nervous system, besides interfering with vitamin C uptake.
-Causes dyslipidemia i.e., increased triglycerides, decreased HDL (good) and increased (bad) LDL (all coronary risk factors).
-Syndrome X (high blood pressure, high cholesterol, abdominal obesity, insulin resistance)
-Promotes acne
-Early menarche
-Certain epithelial cell carcinomas (cancer)
-Myopia (near-sightedness)
-Cutaneous papillomas (skin tags)
-Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
-Male vertex balding
Now the Million-dollar question: What do I do about insulin? The answer in its simplest form is: Stop eating so much sugar! O.K., O.K., I know for most people this solution sounds easier than it is. So what are some more ‘reasonable’ things one can do to reign in insulin levels?
The first step is to identify the primary sources of sugar in your diet.
Liquid Sugar: Recently a report came out detailing that the average American diet consists of 1/3 calorie’s from sugar! That means that 1 out of every 3 calories that you eat in a day has no positive nutritive value, and moreover, it can lead to many of the health challenges listed above. Another detail reported was that a large number of these calories from sugar come in liquid form, such as soda, juice, etc. And despite the commercials to the contrary, high fructose corn syrup is not good for you, at the very least it is equal to regular sugar, and in fact there is evidence that it could be worse for your insulin levels. Fructose the sugar in fruits causes a very similar response to insulin as does cane AKA white sugar. However, certain fruits such as berries have low sugar content.
White Flour: Another important point to consider is that white flour is basically sugar. Much of it turns into simple sugar before it even hits your stomach. So in reality you can view any white flour the same as eating straight sugar, and compounding the issue, sugar usually accompanies white flour. Do not be fooled into thinking that whole-wheat products will produce an appreciable difference in insulin levels. A whole-wheat bagel contains a large volume of starch, which breaks down to a sugar as its end product of metabolism! It is true that whole grains are more nutritious, but the total volume of starches and sugars are the same. Fiber is the only additional item in a whole grain product that has an ability to modify the insulin response—so read labels. If the product has 1 gram more of fiber than a white flour product, this will have no net effect. We need 25-30 grams of fiber per day to promote normal bowel function and support healthy insulin levels.
Q: So what carbohydrates can I eat that will really help me lower my insulin levels and promote a healthy body weight?
A: Low-Impact Carbohydrates such as:
Salads and all non-starchy vegetables, low glycemic fruit (i.e., berries of all kinds, green apples, ½ grapefruit, a prickly pears, cherries, fresh peaches or plums), 1-2 servings per day and small portions of whole grains (2 oz), such as Kasha (buckwheat grouts), Brown rice, Whole oats etc.
Beans (best to least favorable, but all good): soybeans, dried peas, kidney beans, lentils, green beans, black beans, butter beans, lima beans, split peas, chick peas, navy beans, brown beans and pinto beans. Bean soups with vegetables are hearty, excellent ways to increase fiber and vegetables in your diet. Make a large pot, and have this available for meals and snacks. Use fresh herbs and extra virgin olive oil to create savory flavors you will love to eat!
What about maple syrup, honey, brown sugar, raw sugar? In short, they are all really sugar and your body still needs to deal with them when they enter your bloodstream by releasing insulin. Yes, they do break down a little slower, so in that respect they don’t cause as rapid an insulin dump, but nonetheless insulin has to be produced. It is currently controversial, but Agave nectar appears to contain high levels of fructose and so I do not recommend this sugar any longer.
Proteins, such as meat, fish, chicken, turkey, lamb, eggs, dairy, soy, etc. produce a counter-regulatory hormone to insulin known as glucagon. Glucagon is a hormone, secreted by the pancreas that raises blood glucose levels. Its effect is opposite that of insulin, which lowers blood glucose levels. The pancreas releases glucagon when blood glucose levels fall too low. Glucagon causes the liver to convert stored glycogen into glucose, which is released into the bloodstream. Glucagon also stimulates the release of insulin, so that glucose can be taken up and used by insulin-dependent tissues. Thus, glucagon and insulin are part of a feedback system that keeps blood glucose levels at the right level.
Supplements: Aside from reducing and/or eliminating sugar in your diet—which is the most vital part—there are also some supplements that can help balance the effects of sugar in your blood. Again, these are supplements; meaning they are meant to supplement healthy diet and behavior, not replace it.
-Cinnamon: Research has shown that cinnamon can reduce blood sugar levels and lower blood cholesterol, as well. Even 20 days after cinnamon treatment had ended, patients continued to see beneficial effects. (Cinulin is a water soluble form made into a supplement that can be taken in powder or capsule form.
-Chromium: This can increase the ability of cells to burn fat rather than sugar.
-Omega-3 oils: They can improve cellular circulation by making the membrane more fluid, thereby increasing receptor sensitivity.
Professional nutritional formulations to help regulate blood sugar are: Gluco-Balance, Bio-Glycozyme Forte, Clinical Glycemia, Glycemic Foundation, Biotin 5000, Inositol, and R-Lipoic Acid. These are not prescription drugs, but doctor-directed supplements based upon your specific condition and blood chemistry.
Exercise: Research has shown regular resistance training to be better than aerobic training in reducing insulin levels and increasing insulin sensitivity. So hit the gym or buy some weights!
Insulin Resistance can be reversed. Studies show that insulin resistance can be significantly improved and even reversed by simple yet extensive dietary changes, sometimes within only a few weeks. There are over 50 essential nutrients for the human body, all of which can be successfully ingested without ever eating grains or sugars.
Eating this way is not a death sentence. Having an egg omelet with peppers and onions and a sliced tomato with a cup of coffee for breakfast, a Caesar salad with meat, fish or chicken, (just omit the croutons and add nuts for crunch) for lunch, and for dinner a large chicken breast seasoned with fresh rosemary, broccoli sautéed with garlic and olive oil, and a side salad, and even a glass of red wine, is far from a negative experience. Your life and your health are your responsibility. Understand that insulin resistance can be reversed and the power to make this better is actually in your hands. It is painful for many of us to change. It is even more painful to develop a disease that will consume you slowly and take away your blueprint for perfection. Insulin resistance and type II diabetes are increasingly prevalent in America—and it is not happening to someone else—it is happening to you, if you are 30 pounds or more overweight, your fasting blood sugar is 95 or higher, your HbA1c is 5.8 or more, your fasting insulin is greater than 7 and your waist is > 35 if you are a woman or 40 if you are a man. These biomarkers from your blood tests and physical measurements tell the story. I use these and other biomarkers in combination to diagnose your condition.
I have attached an eating plan to support you in your process and quest for better health. Natural health care is responsible, effective and lifestyle-oriented. Make an inroad today!
