Insulin is a hormone produced in the pancreas that facilitates glucose absorption by the cells. Every time you eat or drink, your digestive system breaks down food into its fundamental components, making it available for metabolic processes. During digestion, glucose is extracted from carbohydrate-dense foods and released into the bloodstream, sending a signal to your brain to release insulin from the pancreas.
Blood glucose circulates to the cells to be used for energy production, or to be stored as glycogen in the muscle cells and liver. But when cells have reached their storage capacity, they become insulin-resistant, and glucose continues to circulate in your bloodstream, setting you up for type 2 diabetes.
Learn what causes insulin resistance, its link to metabolic and cognitive disorders, and natural strategies you can start today to combat and reverse it.
How Cells Become Insulin-Resistant
Your body’s systems are intricately interdependent, and dysfunction or disease in one system can have a profound impact on others. When it comes to energy production, your cells rely on glucose and fat to manufacture ATP – the energy molecule – in the mitochondria. But too little physical activity combined with too much food consumption creates an energy imbalance, and excess energy from glucose is converted and stored as fat.
At the same time, the cells quickly reach their capacity for glucose storage when too little demand is placed on muscle cells. Every time you eat, your pancreas ramps up insulin production to help transport glucose into the cells, only to be met by resistance from overly-full cells. Consequently, excess glucose continues to circulate in your bloodstream, triggering even greater amounts of insulin production and creating a cascade of undesirable metabolic effects.
Insulin resistance can eventually contribute to a spectrum of diseases, including:
- Obesity
- Non alcoholic fatty liver disease
- Cardiovascular disease
- Metabolic syndrome
- Atherosclerosis
- Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
- Chronic systemic inflammation
- Type 2 diabetes
- Arthritis
- Neurodegenerative and cognitive disorders
- Myofascial dysfunction
If left unchecked, insulin resistance can lower your quality of life and cause premature death. Medical doctors often prescribe drugs to help manage the condition, without addressing the underlying causes. In order to halt disease progression and reverse insulin resistance, you need to commit to some basic lifestyle modifications.
Insulin Resistance and Brain Health
The human brain relies heavily on glucose metabolism, accounting for roughly 20–25% of the body’s total resting glucose consumption, mostly for information processing and neuronal computation. Glucose fuels the brain’s physiological function via ATP production in the mitochondria. It is also essential for the maintenance of neurons and for the generation of neurotransmitters.
Insulin is able to cross the blood-brain barrier, helping to tightly control glucose metabolism. Poorly regulated glucose can lead to cognitive impairment and disease in the brain, and throughout the entire body. Alterations in insulin signaling can accelerate brain aging, reduce brain plasticity and potentially cause neurodegeneration.
Conditions like Alzheimer’s disease and dementia have been linked to insulin resistance and poor glucose regulation in the brain. In fact, Alzheimer’s disease is often referred to as type 3 diabetes. Modifications in lifestyle can dramatically reduce your risk of neurodegenerative cognitive disorders by enhancing brain cell sensitivity to insulin.
Lifestyle Factors that Promote Insulin Sensitivity
There are many basic lifestyle changes you can make right away to improve your cells’ insulin sensitivity and break down the walls of insulin resistance. Adopting new habits and abandoning old ones may be difficult at first, but you will begin to feel better in a matter of days, with more energy and greater mental clarity.
Begin with these basic changes to reverse insulin resistance and begin your journey to better health:
- Start a daily walking program. The human body is designed to walk and carry loads, and walking is arguably the best exercise for everyone. The minute you begin to exercise, your cells start to burn stored sugar, making them more insulin-sensitive. Begin with 15-20 minutes of moderate walking, and gradually increase your time, speed and distance.
- Add resistance training 2-3 times per week. Resistance exercise is anaerobic, and relies solely on stored sugar for energy production. Lifting weights will quickly reduce your sugar stores and make your cells more insulin-sensitive. If you’re new to weight training, hire a trainer to teach you the basics.
- Eliminate sugars from your diet by choosing water over soft drinks and avoiding ultra-processed foods. It is not enough to eliminate sweets – low-nutrient foods like refined flour, rice and potatoes are quickly converted to glucose during digestion. Opt for fresh meats and produce, and avoid pre-packaged food products.
- Avoid all foods fried in or processed with refined seed oils that promote systemic inflammation, especially canola, cottonseed, soybean and corn oils.
- Try intermittent fasting by delaying food consumption until later in the day and consuming all your calories within an 8-hour window. Fasting gives your body time to burn off stored sugar, repair damaged cells, and normalize insulin levels.
Natural Remedies to Help Reverse Insulin Resistance
In addition to increasing your physical activity level and improving your diet, there are multiple nutrient supplements that enhance glucose metabolism and help to regulate it. When administered by injection or IV infusion, nutrient supplements maintain their potency and are quickly introduced to the bloodstream.
Vitamin C and Glutathione
This dynamic duo of antioxidants helps to support cellular function and protects cells against damage from free radicals. Damaged cells are less efficient at glucose metabolism.
Curcumin
Curcumin is a derivative of turmeric – a popular spice used in Mexican and Middle Eastern dishes. Curmin supports cells by managing oxidative stress and inflammation, helping to prevent arthritis, reduce anxiety, and regulate blood lipids and prevent metabolic syndrome.
NAD
Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) is an essential coenzyme for cellular metabolism. It provides vital support for cellular mitochondria, playing a key role in energy production. Low NAD levels can diminish your ability to metabolize glucose, creating an environment that promotes insulin resistance.
Plaquex IV Therapy
Plaquex is a compound derived from polyunsaturated phosphatidylcholine (PC), a chemical that occurs naturally in foods like eggs and red meat. PC’s are major components of cell membranes. Plaquex helps to support cell function, and prevents and reverses the buildup of plaque on arterial walls.
Semaglutide Injections
Semaglutide is a prescription medication classified as a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist. It mimics the hormone GLP-1 that your GIl tract releases during digestion. The FDA has approved Semaglutide for the management of type 2 diabetes, and more recently as a weight-loss drug for obese and diabetic patients. It works by promoting insulin production, reducing appetite, and signaling satiety. Semaglutide is administered by weekly injection, and is designed to work in conjunction with dietary modifications and exercise.
Combat Insulin Resistance and Optimize Your Health with Invita Wellness
Making positive lifestyle changes can be challenging, but you don’t have to go it alone – you can get the support you need at Invita Wellness NYC. We are dedicated to helping you improve your health through natural nutrient injections and IV infusion therapies. Our services also include whole body and focal cryotherapy, cryo facial, and hyperbaric oxygen therapy.
If you’re ready to improve your health, enhance your physical performance, increase longevity and upgrade your quality of life, contact Invita Wellness today!
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Resources
Ahmed, Bulbul, Rifat Sultana, and Michael W. Greene. “Adipose tissue and insulin resistance in obese.” Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy 137 (2021): 111315.
Insulin resistance, cardiovascular stiffening and cardiovascular disease
Hill, Michael A., et al. “Insulin resistance, cardiovascular stiffening and cardiovascular disease.” Metabolism 119 (2021): 154766.
https://www.imrpress.com/journal/FBE/12/1/10.2741/E863/htm
Lee, Shin-Hae, Shi-Young Park, and Cheol Soo Choi. “Insulin resistance: from mechanisms to therapeutic strategies.” Diabetes & metabolism journal 46.1 (2022): 15-37.
Insulin resistance: from mechanisms to therapeutic strategies
Sędzikowska, Aleksandra, and Leszek Szablewski. “Insulin and insulin resistance in Alzheimer’s disease.” International journal of molecular sciences 22.18 (2021): 9987.
Insulin and insulin resistance in Alzheimer’s disease
