Insulin Resistence: What Do Some Researchers Say?
April 12, 2011 by Dr. Marc Darrow, M.D.
Filed under Aging, Insulin
To review, By Controlling Insulin, You May Be Controlling Aging
When we eat, our bodies release insulin into our blood stream so that we can process glucose (sugars) from our foods to make energy, especially in our muscles.
Glucose belongs in our cells and not in our blood. When it remains in our blood we produce more insulin. Increased insulin, according to many researchers, is the number one factor for accelerated aging.
Glucose
Our cells need glucose for many things including energy, metabolism, and for mood and cognitive function. The short term benefit of eating a candy bar, besides its good taste, has long been know by athletes and students, sugar gives you energy and makes you think straight, that is, in the short-term.
The reason we cannot eat glucose all the time is obvious. It is not good for us, we would get fat, develop insulin resistance, and then diabetes.
When we eat too much glucose, as sugar or in the form of carbohydrates, the more insulin will be needed to be released to usher the glucose into the cells. If we are not “burning it off,” the glucose is stored for later use.
When we have too much glucose in our cells, our bodies try to stop insulin from stuffing more in there. Suddenly we are programmed to ignore insulin’s attempts to process glucose. The pancreas, from where insulin is made, still senses high levels of glucose in the blood, it thinks it is not sending our enough insulin, therefore it sends out more. Unfortunately the more it sends, the more gets ignored. We are now resisting insulin’s attempts at glucose regulation, we have become “Insulin Resistant.” This cycle continues until the pancreas becomes exhausted and no longer produces insulin, this is Type-Two Diabetes (diabetes mellitus).
