483. INSULIN - Insulin Resistance Symptoms

Insulin Resistance Symptoms

        Before we discuss how to identify the presence of insulin resistance symptoms in your life you must first understand the role of insulin in your body.
        When we eat sugar or any food that breaks down into sugar in the body, this elevates the body's glucose levels.
        Glucose is the technical term for blood sugar.
        When blood sugar rises, then the pancreas has the job of bringing it back down again, and it does so by releasing insulin. When the pancreas releases insulin, this alerts the glucose receptors to open and one of three things occur. It is taken into the cell immediately and used for energy, then any excess glucose either gets stored in the liver as glycogen which can be used at a later date as needed, or it's stored as fat in the cell.
        There is always more sugar than the body needs when one eats sugar and carbohydrates, so a great deal of it is getting stored as fat.
        Glucose is essential for the mind and body to function adequately, however you don't want too much or too little.
        Too much leads to things like insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes, while
        Too little leads to things like hypoglycemia and lack of energy.
        Unfortunately many people don't notice the arrival of insulin resistance symptoms before its too late, because they have not been educated about what to look for and the diet they have been led to believe is healthy is really at the root.
        Every time you eat sugar or a food that gets broken down into sugar, including starches, beans and whole grains, then your body goes through the process described above.
        If you are continually ingesting foods that force the body to go through this process, then over time there is too much sugar for the pancreas to handle.
        Each time it detects sugar in the blood stream, and then it releases insulin.
        The liver can only store a certain amount of glycogen in the liver so ultimately the sugar keeps getting stored in the cell as fat.
        Eventually the glucose receptors say "hey we have way too much fat here, we can't store anymore and they "resist" the pressure of the pancreas to store anymore.
        However, the pancreas says, "but we're swimming in sugar in here, this person keeps pumping us with sugar and we have to get it out of the blood stream."
        So the pancreas releases even more insulin and forces the glucose receptors to store more of it as fat. Then the glucose receptors get even more resistant and refuse again to store anymore as fat and so the pancreas releases more insulin.
        The more sugar in the blood stream, the more the pancreas releases insulin and the more resistant the receptors become.
This results in high levels of insulin being released on a continual basis, called hyperinsulinism. High levels of insulin in the body result in disruption to the cells, inflammation and a landslide of destruction to the various systems in the body resulting in conditions like type 2 diabetes, obesity, high triglycerides, high blood pressure and many more.
At this point, even though glucose levels remain high, none of it is available to be used by the cells for energy, which often results in cravings for carbohydrates, excessive fatigue and weight gain.
        Eventually the body stops responding to insulin at all, the pancreas either gets too wore out to continue its job or it gets damaged by the high levels of insulin and can no longer release insulin, this is when blood sugar levels remain high and type 2 diabetes occurs.
        Insulin resistance usually occurs in tandem with leptin resistance.
        Leptin is a hormone in our fat cells that tells us when we're full.
        When leptin resistance develops, then hunger doesn't turn off and leads to overeating and cravings for sugar and carbs.

Early Signs and Symptoms of Insulin Resistance

Many of the early symptoms of insulin resistance go unnoticed because they are typically labeled something else. These are some of the symptoms that are possible.

·hypoglycemia or low blood sugar

·mood swings - which are triggered by erratic changes in blood sugar

·chronic fatigue or low energy

·cravings for sugar and/or carbs

·exhaustion

·brain fog, difficulty focusing or paying attention

·acidosis

·mental fatigue

·weight gain

·afternoon blahs

·anxiety and/or anxiety disorders

·depression

·adrenal fatigue

·compulsive overeating/food addiction

·candida yeast overgrowth

·hormone imbalance

·sleepiness after a meal

·sugar and/or carb addiction

·irritable bowel and other bowel disorders

·gas, bloating, indigestion

·poor memory and impaired learning abilities

·frequent urination

·excessive thirst

·extra weight in belly

        However it's important to note that the existence of the symptoms above does not always equal insulin resistance, but they do often go hand in hand.
        However, these symptoms are also shared with a variety of other conditions, so it's important to work with a knowledgeable health care provider for diagnoses.

Late Stage Insulin Resistance Symptoms

When insulin resistance symptoms progress, serious conditions develop. If you have any of the following, you likely have insulin resistance.

·high triglycerides

·high cholesterol

·high blood pressure

·obesity (however, it's important to note that insulin resistance occurs in thin people as well)

·fatty liver and/or liver disease

·alcoholism

·breast, prostate or colon cancer

·auto-immune disorders

·pos - polycystic ovary syndrome

The list of symptoms that may be associated with insulin resistance is vast and may also include autism, weakened immune system, anorexia, bulimia, nutritional deficiencies, osteoporosis, kidney disease, blood clots, food allergy and sensitivity, constipation and many more.

Causes of Insulin Resistance

        The higher your blood sugar levels the more insulin you release, the more insulin you release, the more resistant the receptors become.
        Therefore the causes of insulin resistance lie in the substances that cause our blood sugar to rise, which include the following:
Sugar, White Flour & Refined Foods
        The primary cause of insulin resistance is the consumption of sugar, white flour and other refined carbohydrates. They cause an excessively high level of blood sugar.
Whole Grains and Other Carbohydrates
        The second major cause is the consumption of carbohydrates in general. This includes foods like potatoes, peas, beans, sweet potatoes and whole grains like corn, brown rice, oats, wheat, barley, rye etc.
        All carbohydrates break down into sugar in the body. These high starch foods cause a rise in blood sugar levels and the release of insulin as described in the first section of this discussion. Their impact on the endocrine system is the same as sugar.
        Whole foods like low-starch vegetables and low-sugar fruits have a minimal impact on blood sugar and insulin.
Stress
        Stress is the third primary cause of insulin resistance. When you're under stress your adrenal glands release adrenaline, which tells the liver to dump its glycogen into the blood stream to deal with the stress at hand. Of course as we learned earlier, when the pancreas sees all this sugar in the blood stream, it responds by releasing insulin.
        If you are under stress continuously, then your liver will be releasing sugar into the blood stream constantly and the pancreas will constantly be releasing insulin.
        Eventually the glucose receptors start resisting because it's too much sugar to deal with.
        If you are already progressing towards insulin resistance because of the wrong diet, then excess stress will push you down the road faster.
        However even if you don't have resistance yet, the mere existence of excessive stress alone can result in insulin resistance because it triggers the whole cycle as if you've eaten sugar.
Menopause, Andropause and Aging
        As we age our tolerance for carbohydrates often decreases because we've been eating them for decades and the prevalence of insulin resistance increases.
        As we get older, the body eventually wears out from the yo-yo blood sugar response, which makes us more vulnerable to insulin resistance. So foods you got away with eating in your younger years may now cause you problems.
Additionally changes in hormone levels, adrenal function, thyroid function and metabolism in both men and women during menopause and andropause and the years preceding them can also leave one vulnerable. Insulin resistance symptoms may appear out of nowhere with no warning. This is especially true for perimenopausal women.
Nutritional Deficiencies
        There are a variety of vital nutrients that are essential for the body to regulate how well you convert sugar into energy. It these nutrients are absent in the body, then blood sugar maintenance will be impaired, which can contribute to insulin resistance. Since most people are eating a poor diet low in vitamins and minerals this is a common contributor.
Nicotine and Caffeine
        When you smoke or drink caffeine, they both release adrenalin, which triggers the liver to pump the blood stream with glucose. Naturally, the pancreas responds with insulin and so forth and so forth, as described above.
Alcohol
        Alcohol is a sugar. It is the most refined sugar you consume. It doesn't even have to be digested. It is absorbed into the blood stream instantly through the gastrointestinal wall and causes high levels of blood sugar.
Environmental Toxins
        Common everyday chemicals in your environment put excessive stress on the endocrine system, which results in the adrenal glands alerting the liver to pump sugar into the blood stream in the same manner as nicotine and caffeine.