Bisphenol A, otherwise known as BPA, is a chemical that has been linked to the development of cardiovascular disease and diabetes. For example, a recent study, results of which were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, found that higher urinary BPA concentrations were associated with elevated rates of both conditions.
That's important to know because it's been estimated that up to 90 percent of U.S. adults have some level of BPA in their body (as seen from urine samples), which makes sense (unfortunately) if you consider that BPA has been used since the 1960s in many hard plastic bottles and to line food and beverage containers.
According to the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, there are certain precautions that can be taken to protect adults, children and infants from the potential hazards of BPA, including the following:
Don't microwave polycarbonate plastic food containers. Polycarbonate is strong and durable, but over time it may break down from overuse at high temperatures.
Polycarbonate containers that contain bisphenol A usually have a #7 on the bottom of the container.
Reduce your use of canned foods.
Whenever possible, opt for glass, porcelain or stainless-steel containers, particularly for hot food or liquids.
Always use baby bottles that are BPA free.
For more information about BPA, visit www.niehs.nih.gov/news/media and click on "Since You Asked - Bisphenol A" on the left-hand toolbar. Your doctor can also provide information on the dangers of BPA and suggest safer alternatives.
Friday, May 28, 2010
Exercises to Ensure You're Swimsuit Ready
The dreaded swimsuit season is upon us. It's time to see just how much our bodies have changed over the course of a long winter, which can be an eye-opening experience. The fitness industry knows how traumatic this can be for you; that's why every year there are countless new books, diets, videos, and magazines dispensing advice on how to get in shape for summer. Unfortunately, most of these "great" ideas involve quick-fix starvation diets and equipment-intensive workouts that are often difficult to follow. Inevitably, the weight comes back (with a few extra pounds added) because these quick-fix programs lower your metabolic set point, making your body more prone to storing body fat. And that's the last thing you want to do!
So, what's the answer? Well, it's really quite simple and boils down to one simple word: MOVEMENT! Here are some of the best exercises to ensure you're swimsuit ready this summer - and every month thereafter. It's a sample program that's quick, easy and positively invigorating
3-5 minutes of brisk walking
30 seconds of bear walks, 20 seconds of push-ups (repeat)
30 seconds of spiderman walks, 20 seconds of squats (repeat)
30 seconds of crab walks, 20 seconds of crunches (repeat) 30 seconds of duck walks, 20 seconds of push-ups (repeat)
3-5 minutes of slow walking
Push-Ups: Perform a standard push-up. If too difficult to perform, put your knees on the ground or change your angle by leaning against a wall.
Abdominal Crunches: Lie on your back and raise your legs off the ground. Grasp hands behind the head to cradle the neck, but do not pull the neck. Curl up, bringing the knees toward the chest and contracting your stomach.
Squats: Stand shoulder-width apart with arms extended in front of the body. Bend your knees, going parallel to the ground like you are sitting in a chair. Hold position for one second and return to starting position, being careful not to lock out your knees.
"Animal Movements": Each animal walk below works different muscles and helps with balance, circulation, cardiovascular health, flexibility, and body toning. Make sure you breathe normally during this and all animal walks.
Spiderman walks: These are great for the hips, legs, back and arms. Start in a crouch position with your feet and your hands on the ground. Bring your right hand forward. Lift up your right leg and bring it up to meet your right hand. Make sure you keep your buttocks down; don't lift them up too much. Now bring your left hand forward. Lift up your left leg and bring it up to meet your right hand. Repeat sequence.
Crab walks. These will work your arms, back, and lower body. Begin by sitting on the ground. Put your arms on the ground behind you and lift up your hips. Walk forward on your hands and heels, trying to keep your hips as high as possible. Repeat.
Duck walks. These will work your lower body like you have never felt. Get into a squatting position with your hands at your sides. Step forward with your left foot, then with your right foot. Keep walking like this until you can't go any farther. Breathe naturally.
Bear walks. Bear walks will work your arms, back, chest and lower body. These will also get you out of breath really quickly! Find a large area to do this exercise. Put all your weight on your hands and feet. Bring your right hand and left foot forward. Then your left hand and right foot. Keep going.
This is a fun, effective workout that will enhance your physique and get you swimsuit ready. With additional movement comes greater flexibility, a leaner physique and more muscle tone. Summer shape-up can finally be an enjoyable time for physical fitness. (Note: It is highly recommended that you get full medical clearance for intense physical activity from your doctor prior to beginning any exercise program.) Move smarter. Move better. Look better. Sounds like the perfect combination. See you at the beach.
So, what's the answer? Well, it's really quite simple and boils down to one simple word: MOVEMENT! Here are some of the best exercises to ensure you're swimsuit ready this summer - and every month thereafter. It's a sample program that's quick, easy and positively invigorating
3-5 minutes of brisk walking
30 seconds of bear walks, 20 seconds of push-ups (repeat)
30 seconds of spiderman walks, 20 seconds of squats (repeat)
30 seconds of crab walks, 20 seconds of crunches (repeat) 30 seconds of duck walks, 20 seconds of push-ups (repeat)
3-5 minutes of slow walking
Push-Ups: Perform a standard push-up. If too difficult to perform, put your knees on the ground or change your angle by leaning against a wall.
Abdominal Crunches: Lie on your back and raise your legs off the ground. Grasp hands behind the head to cradle the neck, but do not pull the neck. Curl up, bringing the knees toward the chest and contracting your stomach.
Squats: Stand shoulder-width apart with arms extended in front of the body. Bend your knees, going parallel to the ground like you are sitting in a chair. Hold position for one second and return to starting position, being careful not to lock out your knees.
"Animal Movements": Each animal walk below works different muscles and helps with balance, circulation, cardiovascular health, flexibility, and body toning. Make sure you breathe normally during this and all animal walks.
Spiderman walks: These are great for the hips, legs, back and arms. Start in a crouch position with your feet and your hands on the ground. Bring your right hand forward. Lift up your right leg and bring it up to meet your right hand. Make sure you keep your buttocks down; don't lift them up too much. Now bring your left hand forward. Lift up your left leg and bring it up to meet your right hand. Repeat sequence.
Crab walks. These will work your arms, back, and lower body. Begin by sitting on the ground. Put your arms on the ground behind you and lift up your hips. Walk forward on your hands and heels, trying to keep your hips as high as possible. Repeat.
Duck walks. These will work your lower body like you have never felt. Get into a squatting position with your hands at your sides. Step forward with your left foot, then with your right foot. Keep walking like this until you can't go any farther. Breathe naturally.
Bear walks. Bear walks will work your arms, back, chest and lower body. These will also get you out of breath really quickly! Find a large area to do this exercise. Put all your weight on your hands and feet. Bring your right hand and left foot forward. Then your left hand and right foot. Keep going.
This is a fun, effective workout that will enhance your physique and get you swimsuit ready. With additional movement comes greater flexibility, a leaner physique and more muscle tone. Summer shape-up can finally be an enjoyable time for physical fitness. (Note: It is highly recommended that you get full medical clearance for intense physical activity from your doctor prior to beginning any exercise program.) Move smarter. Move better. Look better. Sounds like the perfect combination. See you at the beach.
Avoiding High-Risk Moments for Your Low Back
When it comes to your lower back and injury risk, there are two critical times when you need to be especially careful. One is first thing in the morning. Your back is actually swollen at that time. You are substantially taller, and the discs have extra fluid in them. A careless forward bend or twist first thing in the morning can do substantial damage to your discs or other back structures. It doesn't seem fair that such a simple thing, bending and twisting, something you have done thousands of times before, can suddenly cause big problems.
The other critical time is after you have been sitting. Long car drives or airplane trips are especially challenging. In this case, the culprit is something called "creep." This means that your ligaments and tendons lengthen into the position that you have been in. Think of sitting as a bent-forward position, as your legs are forward. The ligaments and tendons do not provide protection properly when they have been lengthened by creep. When you first get up from sitting, you are at risk. The longer you have been sitting, the higher the risk. If you sit more upright, with good lumbar support, you will have somewhat less risk.
Common Events That Can Cause Back Pain
Scenario #1: You didn't sleep well last night, perhaps from sleeping in an unfamiliar bed after travel, after sitting too long. You get up, feel stiff, but ignore it. You sit down in a soft chair to enjoy your morning hot drink. You get up and get a sudden sharp stab in the back.
Scenario #2: You get up from sleeping, and sit at your laptop, and get entranced by a video or article. You end up sitting far longer than you planned. You get up, and can't completely straighten up.
Scenario #3: You get up from sleeping, drink your morning coffee, which wakes up your gut, and you go to bathroom to empty your bowel. You are a bit constipated, and have to strain. When you get up from the toilet, your back spasms.
Overnight sleeping, even a good sleep on your favorite bed, leaves your back somewhat swollen. Swollen may be an exaggeration, but the reality is that there is extra fluid in all of your joints.
Two Ways to Minimize Injury/Pain Risk
1. Don't bend over immediately after sitting. Sitting, even in good posture, puts you at risk. The longer you sit and the worse the seat, the more at risk you are. Airlines are very risky; it's hard to get up and move around because of the tight quarters, and the minute the plane stops, you bend over and get stuff from under the seat, or reach up, and twist and lift to get your bag from the overhead compartment. After a long sit, give yourself at least a few seconds of backward bending and/or moving around to reset your spine. Then you can carefully, using your hips rather than your back, bend over to pick up something.
2. When you sit, don't slump. Slumping reinforces the risks, makes it more likely for something bad to happen to your discs or joints or muscles. So, sit up straight, and keep your back in neutral. Neutral means that you keep a bit of a lordosis in your lower back, keep the lumbar spine from slumping forward, stay more upright. This simple action can make a huge difference. Like any habit, this will require you to "Just Do It" for a few weeks.
Talk to your doctor about these and other high-risk moments for your lower back and what you can do to relieve low back pain or avoid the pain altogether.
The other critical time is after you have been sitting. Long car drives or airplane trips are especially challenging. In this case, the culprit is something called "creep." This means that your ligaments and tendons lengthen into the position that you have been in. Think of sitting as a bent-forward position, as your legs are forward. The ligaments and tendons do not provide protection properly when they have been lengthened by creep. When you first get up from sitting, you are at risk. The longer you have been sitting, the higher the risk. If you sit more upright, with good lumbar support, you will have somewhat less risk.
Common Events That Can Cause Back Pain
Scenario #1: You didn't sleep well last night, perhaps from sleeping in an unfamiliar bed after travel, after sitting too long. You get up, feel stiff, but ignore it. You sit down in a soft chair to enjoy your morning hot drink. You get up and get a sudden sharp stab in the back.
Scenario #2: You get up from sleeping, and sit at your laptop, and get entranced by a video or article. You end up sitting far longer than you planned. You get up, and can't completely straighten up.
Scenario #3: You get up from sleeping, drink your morning coffee, which wakes up your gut, and you go to bathroom to empty your bowel. You are a bit constipated, and have to strain. When you get up from the toilet, your back spasms.
Overnight sleeping, even a good sleep on your favorite bed, leaves your back somewhat swollen. Swollen may be an exaggeration, but the reality is that there is extra fluid in all of your joints.
Two Ways to Minimize Injury/Pain Risk
1. Don't bend over immediately after sitting. Sitting, even in good posture, puts you at risk. The longer you sit and the worse the seat, the more at risk you are. Airlines are very risky; it's hard to get up and move around because of the tight quarters, and the minute the plane stops, you bend over and get stuff from under the seat, or reach up, and twist and lift to get your bag from the overhead compartment. After a long sit, give yourself at least a few seconds of backward bending and/or moving around to reset your spine. Then you can carefully, using your hips rather than your back, bend over to pick up something.
2. When you sit, don't slump. Slumping reinforces the risks, makes it more likely for something bad to happen to your discs or joints or muscles. So, sit up straight, and keep your back in neutral. Neutral means that you keep a bit of a lordosis in your lower back, keep the lumbar spine from slumping forward, stay more upright. This simple action can make a huge difference. Like any habit, this will require you to "Just Do It" for a few weeks.
Talk to your doctor about these and other high-risk moments for your lower back and what you can do to relieve low back pain or avoid the pain altogether.
Monday, May 17, 2010
Avoid Common Exercise Mistakes
Here are four movements to avoid when exercising, along with a few exercises that are often performed incorrectly:
1. Don't use jerking motions, especially when lifting. Speed is fine when done appropriately, but you should always have fluid motion and proper form when performing any and all exercises; otherwise you could strain or even tear something.
2. Don't use body parts not required for the exercise. Have you ever seen people doing biceps curls and rounding their shoulders or arching their backs? Those are just two of the big no-no's that can lead to injury.
3. Don't lock out your knees or elbows. Never lock your joints when working out; keep them slightly bent so the weight will not be transferred to the joints.
4. Don't arch your back. Picture someone on the barbell bench press, lifting a weight that is actually too heavy for them. Chances are that eventually, they will start arching their back. Sooner than later, that back is going to give out and they won't be able to exercise for days, weeks or even longer.
1. Don't use jerking motions, especially when lifting. Speed is fine when done appropriately, but you should always have fluid motion and proper form when performing any and all exercises; otherwise you could strain or even tear something.
2. Don't use body parts not required for the exercise. Have you ever seen people doing biceps curls and rounding their shoulders or arching their backs? Those are just two of the big no-no's that can lead to injury.
3. Don't lock out your knees or elbows. Never lock your joints when working out; keep them slightly bent so the weight will not be transferred to the joints.
4. Don't arch your back. Picture someone on the barbell bench press, lifting a weight that is actually too heavy for them. Chances are that eventually, they will start arching their back. Sooner than later, that back is going to give out and they won't be able to exercise for days, weeks or even longer.
Back Pain: Exercises to Help Healing
When it comes to back pain, your first thoughts may be to take over-the-counter pain medication and rest whenever possible. Two bad options. First, medication is only going to temporarily relieve the pain, if at all, and may be accompanied by various unpleasant side effects attributable to drugs. Second, rest may actually hurt more than help. While you're seeing your chiropractor, there are a few things you can do at home to help the healing process. Believe it or not, it's based on the simple principle of movement.
When you stop moving, everything tightens up, circulation slows down, and pain chemicals accumulate in your muscles and joints. It's like waking up after sleeping in a cold room on a lousy mattress with a draft. You need to move. Here are two simple exercises to get you started (discuss these with your doctor first):
Exercise #1: Backward Bending (extension of the lumbar spine). An exercise called the McKenzie extension is the first thing you should try if you have sciatica (pain running down your leg). If these exercises work, your pain will diminish and may centralize, which is a good thing. Centralize means your pain goes less far down your leg, and you may feel it closer to the spine. Bending backward may not feel good at first, but you should feel better immediately afterward. If you feel worse afterward or the pain goes farther down your leg, stop, as this is not the exercise for you.
How to Do It: Lie face-down on the floor, arms bent at your sides (sort of like a starting push-up posture). Straighten your arms up slowly, lifting your upper body off the floor as you do so. Your legs and feet should stay on the ground. Hold for 3-5 seconds, then slowly lower your upper body back down. Repeat 10 times, as often as once per hour
Exercise #2: Flexion Exercises (bringing the leg toward the chest). People with lower back pain can also feel better with various types of leg flexion, bringing the bent leg toward the chest, or doing contract-relax and then bringing the bent leg toward the chest. These people usually have sacroiliac joint problems. (The SI joints are located on either side of the spine in the lower back.)
How to Do It: Lie on your back with one leg bent and then other flat on the floor. Bring the bent leg up toward the chest. Wrap your arms around the leg and then try to lower it toward the floor for 3-5 seconds, resisting with your arms. Relax, and then pull the bent leg up farther toward the chest. Repeat the entire process three times.
To reduce your risk of injury, consult with your doctor before doing these exercises for the first time, particularly if your pain is new and/or you would like further explanation of how to perform the exercises correctly.
When you stop moving, everything tightens up, circulation slows down, and pain chemicals accumulate in your muscles and joints. It's like waking up after sleeping in a cold room on a lousy mattress with a draft. You need to move. Here are two simple exercises to get you started (discuss these with your doctor first):
Exercise #1: Backward Bending (extension of the lumbar spine). An exercise called the McKenzie extension is the first thing you should try if you have sciatica (pain running down your leg). If these exercises work, your pain will diminish and may centralize, which is a good thing. Centralize means your pain goes less far down your leg, and you may feel it closer to the spine. Bending backward may not feel good at first, but you should feel better immediately afterward. If you feel worse afterward or the pain goes farther down your leg, stop, as this is not the exercise for you.
How to Do It: Lie face-down on the floor, arms bent at your sides (sort of like a starting push-up posture). Straighten your arms up slowly, lifting your upper body off the floor as you do so. Your legs and feet should stay on the ground. Hold for 3-5 seconds, then slowly lower your upper body back down. Repeat 10 times, as often as once per hour
Exercise #2: Flexion Exercises (bringing the leg toward the chest). People with lower back pain can also feel better with various types of leg flexion, bringing the bent leg toward the chest, or doing contract-relax and then bringing the bent leg toward the chest. These people usually have sacroiliac joint problems. (The SI joints are located on either side of the spine in the lower back.)
How to Do It: Lie on your back with one leg bent and then other flat on the floor. Bring the bent leg up toward the chest. Wrap your arms around the leg and then try to lower it toward the floor for 3-5 seconds, resisting with your arms. Relax, and then pull the bent leg up farther toward the chest. Repeat the entire process three times.
To reduce your risk of injury, consult with your doctor before doing these exercises for the first time, particularly if your pain is new and/or you would like further explanation of how to perform the exercises correctly.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Can eating sugar really make you age faster?
The levels of insulin in your blood may be the single most important chemical level to 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 has its fingers in 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 balance 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 cause for the storage of excess nutrients. With the intake of sugar, when the body recognizes there to be 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 you 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 everyones favorite whipping boy, saturated fat. Backing up a little, excess sugar enters your blood stream through ingesting it in the diet. Now the biggest blast of blood-sugar comes from eating high-sugar foods, like your typical soft drinks and desserts; however any carbohydrates, even complex-carbohydrates elevate the blood sugar level and therefore cause for 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 what it causes 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 secretion of VLDL
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 blood stream at any one time.
Insulin resistance, also known as type 2 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 almost 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 for 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 less 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 enters 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 can then notice the smell strongly again. In the case of insulin resistance, the cells are down-regulating their insulin receptors, and therefore they are less responsive to it in the blood stream. However, even if the cells are resistant to the messages of insulin, you 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 over abundance 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 cancel cell.) -Your cells become resistant to magnesium, which causes your blood vessels to constrict, which causes your blood pressure to rise.
-It raises triglyceride, and LDL levels -It leads to coronary artery disease (CAD) by causing blood to clot to readily, the conversion of macrophages into foam cells, constriction of arteries, and stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system. Not to mention the fact that it interferes with vitamin C uptake.
-It causes dyslipidemia i.e. Increased triglycerides, decreased HDL and increased LDL.
-Syndrome X (HBP, high cholesterol, 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 sugar! O.K., O.K. I know for most people this solution sounds easier than it is. So what are some more 'reasonable' steps one can take to reign in insulin levels?
The first distinction to make is identifying 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 calories form sugar! That means that 1 out of every 3 calories that you eat in a day has no positive nutritive value, and even more it can lead to many of the health challenges detailed above. Another detail reported in the report was that a large number of these calories from sugar come in liquid form, soda, juice, etc. And despite the commercials to the contrary, high fructose corn syrup in not good for you, at the least it is equal to regular sugar, and in reality there is evidence that it could be worse for your insulin levels.
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.
What about maple syrup, honey, brown sugar, raw sugar? In short, they are all still sugar and you r body still needs to deal with it when it enters your blood stream by releasing insulin. Yes, they do break down a little slower, so in that respect they don't cause for as rapid of an insulin dump, but insulin has to be produced anyway.
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 however, 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 the cinnamon treatment had ended, the patients continued to see beneficial effects.
-Chromium: this can increase the ability of cells to burn fat rather than needing to burn sugar.
-Omega-3 oils: This can improve cellular circulation by making the membrane more fluid, thereby increasing receptor sensitivity.
Exercise: Research has shown that regular resistance training has been shown to be better than aerobic training in bringing down insulin levels and increase insulin sensitivity.
Insulin Resistance can be reversed: Studies of humans 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 of sugars.
The primary purpose of insulin in the human body is to cause for the storage of excess nutrients. With the intake of sugar, when the body recognizes there to be 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 you 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 everyones favorite whipping boy, saturated fat. Backing up a little, excess sugar enters your blood stream through ingesting it in the diet. Now the biggest blast of blood-sugar comes from eating high-sugar foods, like your typical soft drinks and desserts; however any carbohydrates, even complex-carbohydrates elevate the blood sugar level and therefore cause for 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 what it causes 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 secretion of VLDL
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 blood stream at any one time.
Insulin resistance, also known as type 2 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 almost 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 for 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 less 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 enters 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 can then notice the smell strongly again. In the case of insulin resistance, the cells are down-regulating their insulin receptors, and therefore they are less responsive to it in the blood stream. However, even if the cells are resistant to the messages of insulin, you 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 over abundance 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 cancel cell.) -Your cells become resistant to magnesium, which causes your blood vessels to constrict, which causes your blood pressure to rise.
-It raises triglyceride, and LDL levels -It leads to coronary artery disease (CAD) by causing blood to clot to readily, the conversion of macrophages into foam cells, constriction of arteries, and stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system. Not to mention the fact that it interferes with vitamin C uptake.
-It causes dyslipidemia i.e. Increased triglycerides, decreased HDL and increased LDL.
-Syndrome X (HBP, high cholesterol, 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 sugar! O.K., O.K. I know for most people this solution sounds easier than it is. So what are some more 'reasonable' steps one can take to reign in insulin levels?
The first distinction to make is identifying 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 calories form sugar! That means that 1 out of every 3 calories that you eat in a day has no positive nutritive value, and even more it can lead to many of the health challenges detailed above. Another detail reported in the report was that a large number of these calories from sugar come in liquid form, soda, juice, etc. And despite the commercials to the contrary, high fructose corn syrup in not good for you, at the least it is equal to regular sugar, and in reality there is evidence that it could be worse for your insulin levels.
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.
What about maple syrup, honey, brown sugar, raw sugar? In short, they are all still sugar and you r body still needs to deal with it when it enters your blood stream by releasing insulin. Yes, they do break down a little slower, so in that respect they don't cause for as rapid of an insulin dump, but insulin has to be produced anyway.
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 however, 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 the cinnamon treatment had ended, the patients continued to see beneficial effects.
-Chromium: this can increase the ability of cells to burn fat rather than needing to burn sugar.
-Omega-3 oils: This can improve cellular circulation by making the membrane more fluid, thereby increasing receptor sensitivity.
Exercise: Research has shown that regular resistance training has been shown to be better than aerobic training in bringing down insulin levels and increase insulin sensitivity.
Insulin Resistance can be reversed: Studies of humans 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 of sugars.
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