Insulin resistance is caused by an unhealthy lifestyle; unhealthy food, little exercise, insufficient sleep and too much (chronic) stress. This lifestyle has literally made your cells insensitive to insulin. The insulin receptors no longer respond to the hormone insulin and your blood sugar level continues to rise.
What is insulin?
– A hormone that ensures that blood sugar can be stored in the body cells, preventing blood sugar from rising too high.
– Involved in fat storage and the production of muscle tissue.
– An anabolic hormone, which means that it ensures storage, repair and growth.
– Insulin is produced in the pancreas (in the Islets of Langerhans).
It is released when blood sugar is too high, but also when there are many amino acids (proteins) circulating in our blood.
Increased blood sugar levels.
This is also called hyperglycemia, which can often be recognized by a lot of itching, inflammation, headache, feeling weaker and having less muscle strength. Difficulty breathing and symptoms of dehydration can also be a sign of hyperglycemia.
Decreased blood sugar levels.
Often a hyper's high blood sugar levels are followed by the pancreas producing too much insulin. This can cause low blood sugar levels (hypoglycemia). A blood sugar level that is too low (also called a sugar dip) can be easily solved by consuming carbohydrates. During a hypo you often experience: shaking, strong hunger, blurred vision, headache, palpitations and mood swings.
The metabolic syndrome.
The metabolic syndrome is a combination of five different metabolic complaints that are related to each other. you then have a combination of: high cholesterol, high blood pressure, obesity, a large waist circumference or high blood sugar levels.
The danger of metabolic syndrome is that your weight often increases slowly and your condition becomes increasingly worse without you immediately realizing this. This leads to more risks. With metabolic syndrome you have an increased risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. You also have a greater risk of strokes and heart attacks.
What is the cause?
Often there are several causes together. Just like with any physical complaint, there is a genetic component that can play a role in the manifestation of this disease. Your lifestyle can ensure that certain genes are expressed more quickly. A number of lifestyle patterns that can play a role in this.
– Overweight and a lot of abdominal fat or organ fat (metabolic syndrome)
– High intake of processed (refined) foods with added sugars that quickly raise blood sugar
– Inactive life
– Chronic stress
– Low-grade inflammation due to, for example, food sensitivities, 'leaky gut syndrome', imbalance in intestinal bacteria, high sugar intake and stress.
- Smoking
– High alcohol and fructose consumption (Fatty Liver Disease)
– Pregnancy (gestational resistance and gestational diabetes)
- Sleep deprivation
– Use of certain medications such as corticosteroids
How do you reduce insulin resistance?
1. Eat fewer carbohydrates
2. Eat as many vegetables as possible every day, at least 400 grams
3. Eat fresh and unprocessed ingredients
4. Eat more proteins and fats
5. Eat (oily) fish (salmon / herring / mackerel / sardines / anchovies) at least twice a week
6. Eat 3 satisfying main meals and stop snacking
7. Exercise before you eat, for example walking
8. Fast regularly (always consult with a specialist)
*Do you have type 2 diabetes and are you taking medication? Then don't just change anything about your lifestyle without consulting a specialist. If your medication is not adjusted, you may risk a blood sugar level that is too low (a Hypo)..
Realize what you can achieve by dealing with this consciously:
– Diabetes medication can be reduced
– No more energy dips
– You no longer feel sleepy all the time
– You can lose weight without a strict diet?
Has something stirred in you and would you like to discuss this with one of our trainers? Then contact us or request a no-obligation consultation!
Mitchell Baker
Enforce Master Trainer
mitchell@enforce.nl
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