In this episode, Stacy and Sarah tell you about how awesome insulin is and why you shouldn’t be trying to go very low carb.
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The Paleo View (TPV), Episode 305: Why Insulin is Important & Awesome!
- Intro (0:00)
- News and Views (0:40)
- Sarah is on single-parent duty this week and is feeling the effects!
- Kudos to all you single parents out there who do it all.
- Stacy is in her busy season at work.
- Stacy wants to mention something that has been on her mind this week: it is easy to get wrapped up in wanting what someone else has- which is partly human nature.
- If this looks like jealous, anger, and frustration… those are not good feelings.
- Have patience and compassion, and consider reaching out and giving a compliment or asking for mentorship if you’re having these feelings.
- Sarah has become a regular contributor for Paleo Magazine.
- She wrote an article coming in the Aug/Sept issue about the case for more carbohydrates.
- This was spurred by the editor of the magazine noticing Sarah isn’t a supporter of very low carb diets.
- She wrote an article coming in the Aug/Sept issue about the case for more carbohydrates.
- Sarah is on single-parent duty this week and is feeling the effects!
- Insulin as a Super Hormone: Thyroid
- There are insulin receptors in just about every cell type.
- It isn’t always about shuttling glucose into the cells.
- Insulin is important for thyroid function.
- There are 3 different variations of the same enzyme that converts “inactive” T4 to “active” T3.
- This can happen in the thyroid or all over the body.
- The Type 2 Deiodase is the most active form.
- It is stimulated by insulin.
- This is how insulin feeds into thyroid function.
- With insulin resistance and diabetes, there is a higher risk of hypothyroidism.
- It is stimulated by insulin.
- A recent paper looked at ketogenic diets in epileptics.
- 120 participants followed a mediterranean style ketogenic diet.
- 1 in 6 participants developed hypothyroidism requiring medication within the first 6 months.
- 8 of these participants developed hypothyroidism within the first month.
- The ketogenic community counter-argues that any weight loss diet causes suppression of the thyroid.
- The difference is the magnitude, and their hypothyroidism requiring medication.
- We want to maintain proper insulin signaling because insulin is important!
- You do want some insulin.
- Don’t eat all the sugar.
- Slow burning carbs like root vegetables and fruits are generally low glycemic load.
- It’s not about ditching all carbohydrates at all costs.
- You do want some insulin.
- There are 3 different variations of the same enzyme that converts “inactive” T4 to “active” T3.
- Stacy knows the low carb does not work for her- it caused her to have major health crash.
- Sarah has been a loud voice of decent for the ketogenic diet.
- Most people who are recommending this diet are not presenting a balanced look at what science tells us.
- The ketogenic diet can be therapeutic in people with a neurologic and neurodegenerative disease.
- The ketogenic diet is not a healthy way to lose weight.
- The cost/benefit for this vs. someone with a neurological disease is very different.
- When you take out large amounts of vegetables from your diet, as keto or very low carb does, it is hard to be healthy.
- It would be difficult to eat the recommended amount of vegetables and still be very low carb.
- There are insulin receptors in just about every cell type.
- Insulin as a Super Hormone: Other roles not related to blood glucose.
- Insulin is important for muscle growth and repair.
- It helps bring amino acids into muscle tissue, including BCAA.
- It stimulates muscle protein synthesis.
- It suppresses protein break down.
- We see this reflected in insulin resistance, diabetes, and ketogenic diets.
- A side effect of diabetes is poor muscle strength and function with age compared to healthy individuals.
- One study compared weight loss in a balanced macronutrient diet vs. ketogenic.
- It showed there was no metabolic advantage to a ketogenic diet.
- Ketogenic diet group lost more muscles mass than the balanced macronutrient group.
- 2 things important for maintaining lean muscle mass during weight loss.
- 1. High protein intake: 20-30% of calories.
- 2. Physical activity helps stimulate muscle growth and repair.
- Insulin is important for bone mineralization.
- Bone is constantly turning over- breaking down and rebuilding itself.
- This is driven by osteoclasts (break down bone) and osteoblast (build bone).
- As we age, osteoclast activity remains more constant and osteoblast activity slows.
- Insulin is important for signaling osteoblasts and drives its activity.
- This is driven by osteoclasts (break down bone) and osteoblast (build bone).
- Bone cells are signaling to the pancreas, helping to control insulin sensitivity.
- There is growing research suggesting that osteoporosis is like “bone diabetes.”
- This might be driven by insulin resistance in our bones.
- Similarly, Alzheimer’s disease is thought to be driven by insulin resistance in our brain.
- Type 2 Diabetics have 69% increase bone fracture rate.
- There is growing research suggesting that osteoporosis is like “bone diabetes.”
- Bone is constantly turning over- breaking down and rebuilding itself.
- Insulin is important for muscle growth and repair.
- The Case for More Carbs
- There is a lot more detail in an upcoming article that Sarah wrote for Paleo magazine, but here are some highlights:
- Insulin is important for cognitive health, promoting learning and memory.
- Insulin has an impact on neuro-inflammation.
- Insulin is important for turning off these inflammatory cells.
- This could be why insulin resistance in the brain is linked with other neurological diseases.
- There is an impact on cognitive performance in diabetics and ketogenic diets.
- Mood problems, psychological adjustment in kids.
- Ketogenic diet caused adults to be less motivated to exercise in one study.
- A study in young, healthy men showed short-term ketogenic diets caused reduced concentration, slower memory retrieval, and slower processing of visual information.
- Insulin is a happy medium hormone. If it gets too high or low, the wheels fall off the cart.
- Every single thing in human health is designed around a happy-medium range in which it functions.
- Yes, you can see physical results short-term from a very low carb diet, but that doesn’t mean it’s supporting your health.
- There is a lot more detail in an upcoming article that Sarah wrote for Paleo magazine, but here are some highlights:
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