Saturday, November 26, 2016

Ways On How To Reverse Insulin Resistance

By Carolyn Bailey


Diabetes is the commonest and most feared metabolic condition today. The condition is caused by lack of insulin in the body or the inability of the body to make use of it. Hormonal deficiency is the main characteristic of type 1 disease while hormonal resistance is characteristic of type 2. If one is at risk of developing type 2 diabetes, there are a number of things that they can do to reverse insulin resistance.

Low levels of insulin hormone or the presence of hormonal resistance result in abnormal utilization of glucose in the body. When this happens over a long period of time, short term and long term complications may ensue. If the problem is identified early and prompt interventions undertaken, these complications can be safely averted. Current interventions mainly involve making changes to lifestyle practices.

The building blocks of carbohydrates are sugars of various complexities. During the process of digestion the macromolecules of carbohydrates are broken down to the simpler constituents and eventually into glucose. This means that carbohydrates directly increase the levels of blood glucose. Research shows that taking too many calories will keep the blood sugar levels abnormally high and predispose to hormonal resistance. The general recommendation is that one should cut down on carbohydrates and increase the consumption of fruits and vegetables.

Other than macronutrients, micronutrients also play an important role. Some of the most significant include multivitamins, fish oils, magnesium, chromium and calcium. Each of them has a unique role it plays in the body. Magnesium, for instance, is vital in the digestion of fats and deposition of the same in adipose tissues. The exact mechanism that is involved here is not well understood.

Physical exercise has a number of important roles when it comes to the reversal of insulin resistance. One of these benefits is that during intense physical exercise, increased muscle contractility leads to increased demand for nutrients and oxygen. This helps lower the levels of glucose in the blood stream. Another benefit is that the process causes the breakdown of fat cells stored in adipose tissue.

Make sure that your mental health does not get neglected even as you make strides towards achieving optimal physical health. Stress commonly leads to abnormal increases in your levels of your blood glucose. These increases are attributed to the production of a hormone known as cortisol. This hormone has also been shown to contribute to central obesity and increase the risk of developing hormonal resistance.

Lack of quality sleep causes effects that resemble those of psychological stress. The amount of cortisol in circulation increases and this causes an increase in the level of metabolism mainly for the carbohydrates. There is a resultant increase in the levels of blood sugars. If this goes on for long, the risk of hormonal resistance is significantly increased. Apart from increased metabolism, the hormone also promotes fat deposition in the abdominal region.

In the event that lifestyle interventions fail to achieve favorable results, more aggressive therapies need to be considered. Such will include, for instance, the use of oral hypoglycemic agents. Drugs that are used for this include, among others metformin, glipizide and glibenclamide all falling under different classes. In most occasions, the drugs are used in combination.




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