Insulin - The Aging Factor

Ever wonder what makes your body age?  Or what makes your body create disease?  Well, once again science has pointed at the same implicating factor of aging. This most resent research follows the discovery of three different genes which all significantly increase the chances of living past 100.   These genes indicate the implicating factor of aging is the sensitivity of our cells to "insulin".

The human body and brain require a steady amount of glucose throughout the day.  Glucose comes from the foods we eat. Insulin is a powerful hormone produced by the pancreas that regulates the level of glucose (sugar). Here is how it works:

• Insulin opens the door to your cells for sugar to get in. So, basically, insulin keeps our blood sugar under control.
• When blood glucose levels are high, insulin stimulates cells in the liver, muscles, and fat. These cells combine glucose into something called glycogen, which essentially stores energy for later use.
• BUT, if someone has too much sugar and carbohydrate intake over a long period of time insulin WILL get very tired of hearing the message over and over to store MORE sugar into the cells and it won’t be able to store the sugar anymore in the cells to be used for energy.
• The result is Insulin Resistance.  
• Insulin Resistance is when insulin can not open the door of your cells for the sugar to be burned.  Too much sugar begins to damage the tissues of the body and is also stored as fat and Triglycerides.  Insulin is a fat storage hormone.  It is also one of the most potent growth hormones that can generate cancers.
• Excess Insulin also wears down our “telomeres”.  Telomeres are like socks at the end of our DNA that prevent our DNA from degrading.  Too much insulin over a long period of time degrades (and ages) your DNA.
  

 

Insulin Resistance is a very serious matter and growing rampant in this country and around the world.  It has been shown to increase systemic inflammation, degrade collagen (increase wrinkles), cause mismanagement of lipids (increase bad cholesterol & Triglycerides), increase risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer and neuro-degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's.  In other words, insulin (unmanaged) causes aging.

 

So, how do you prevent this?  Well, it's easy.  You eat a glycemically balanced diet and exercise regularly. This means you eat an ideal proportion of clean lean proteins, healthy fats, low starch carbs, minimal high starch carbs and super foods. Watch out for the high starch, sugary foods since they turn into sugar quickly in the blood stream.  Remember, this requires excess insulin to be released.  Bottom line, too much insulin being released over a long period of time will lead to insulin resistance...this will lead to a decreased sensitivity to insulin and therefore higher insulin levels and sugar levels in your blood stream.  Not good.

 

If you are confused and tired of trying to figure out “when what and how" to eat, contact me at www.getnourished.tv for a free 30 minute strategy session where I will share with you the latest in nutritional science, that will help you balance your blood sugar and prevent insulin spikes, all the while eating yummy, satiating meals.  Through my simple diet and lifestyle strategies you can discover effortless weight loss, increased energy and focus, regulated blood sugar and less aches and allergies too.  Healthy lifestyle habits and eating nutrient dense, glycemically balanced meals (and snacks!) are the foundation to preventing chronic disease and premature aging.

 

In the meantime, here are a few tips to incorporate into your life TODAY.

1. Sleep - Get AT LEAST 7-8 hours of solid sleep per night.  Recent research shows that just ONE night of LESS than 7 hours of sleep, increases your risk of insulin resistance.  Yep, sleepless nights increases insulin AND lowers your growth hormone which keeps you young.
   
2. Stress - Manage your stress.  Research shows that high stress increases insulin.  Try deep breathing exercises when feeling overwhelmed.  Breath in for a count of 8 and out for a count of eight. 
   
3. Exercise - And I don't mean for long arduous hours of aerobic exercise.  I mean exercise EFFECTIVELY with "burst" exercise. Short burst of about 30 seconds of all out effort (running, biking or walking) followed by a recovery for twice as long, ie. one minute.  This decreases insulin.  Long arduous aerobic actually raises our stress hormones thus raising insulin.  Result = you gain fat.
4. Glycemically balanced meals - Simple as this - 

• clean, lean protein
  
• lots of low starch veggies
  
• limited starchy carbs
  
• Healthy fats (ie, olive oil, hemp oil, avocado, nuts and seeds) 
• Super Foods - green powders,  nuts and seeds, sea veggies (nori, dulse, etc)
  

 For a quick overview of glycemically balanced meals, sign up for my 5-Day Free Video Report Series on my home page. 

Here's to you and your success to Get Nourished, be well and thrive!

 Sarah

www.getnourished.tv