Hormones
LOF – Obesity is a hormone issue
There are two primary hormones, insulin and cortisol that deal with the creation and control of glucose, the food used by all body cells. Hormones are the chemical messengers of the body that tell cells what to do. Hormones, especially insulin were never designed to be released 24/7. Hormones to be effective must be released periodically, otherwise the body builds up a resistance or tolerance which is called metabolic syndrome. An excellent example of this is alcoholism. Someone who drinks heavily everyday, can hold their liquor much better than someone who only has the occasional drink. The ability to hold one’s liquor might be a positive attribute in some cultures but hormone tolerance or resistance is a serious medical issue.
We have always been told that to lose weight, “eat less move more.” According to Dr Fung in the Obesity Code, this is a wrong assumption. In his opinion, weight loss is primarily hormonal. If you are stressed and have high cortisol levels then the body will want to store food energy, regardless of activity levels. If you have high insulin levels due to high blood sugar from a diet full of carbs, sugars and hidden sugars then the body will always burn sugar and never the energy stored in fat cells. To lose weight you must control both cortisol and insulin hormone levels.
Why?
Your body metabolism is a delicate chemical balancing act controlled by hormones. The food you eat, ie the fats, proteins and carbs are turned into glucose, (the base food for all cells) fatty acids, amino acids and nutrients to power your metabolism. Metabolic problems occur when the fats, proteins and carbs eaten turn into glucose, at a faster rate than the body can safely process it. When it comes to food energy our bodies are smart and efficient. The glucose that can’t immediately be used gets stored not expelled. The hormone that regulates the amount of glucose allowed into a cell is called insulin. Insulin plays two major roles, it controls how much glucose enters cells and turns excess glucose into fat. (lipogenesis)
Excess glucose is stored within the body in the follow areas, blood, cells, liver, muscles and fat. Glucose is transformed into glycogen (long chains of glucose) for storage in the liver and muscles. If these four short term storage areas are full, then glucose through “lipogenesis” is stored in fat tissue (adipose) using an enzyme called lipoprotein lipase. Here is the paradox, the body wants the glucose out of the blood (high blood sugar is toxic) so it causes the pancreas to release more insulin, up to 5-7 times normal but the cells are already full and cannot accept the additional glucose. Your metabolism is being pulled in two different directions. High blood sugar damages, your arteries, kidneys, liver, eye sight and circulation, but at the cellular level the G-protein receptors on the cell walls where insulin hormone docks is blocked. With the insulin hormone “locked out” no glucose can enter the cells. If the over production of insulin continues, eventually the pancreas’ alpha and beta cells become exhausted and quit working. When this occurs, daily insulin injections are required, otherwise the patient will die of cell starvation regardless of food intake.
The typical medical cure to lower high blood sugar is to provide more insulin to overwhelm the bodies protective measures. Since the body’s cells are already full the additional insulin speeds up the conversion of glucose to fat. Your blood sugar is good but any extra calories above your daily basal metabolic rate (BMR ) regardless of activity level is stored as fat.
Two things can help the above situation:
- Lower your blood sugar by eating less carbs or slow down the absorption rate of glucose into the blood stream by eating whole foods instead of highly processed ones.
- Reduce your stress levels.
In summary.
Type I diabetes – Pancreas no longer produces insulin, patients need daily insulin shots to live.
Type II diabetes, often called metabolic syndrome. Your body has consistently high blood sugar levels, forcing the pancreas to over produce insulin. Once the body’s cells are “full,” to protect themselves the cell membrane blocks glucose absorption (“insulin resistance”). Insulin is forced to store the excess glucose in muscle/liver tissue and fat. Type II diabetes is typically treated with daily insulin shots or drugs like Metformin.
Take away – If type II diabetes is really caused by the over production of insulin…it is reasonable to assume type II diabetes in many cases can be cured longterm through a Low Carb High Fat (LCHF) diet.
Insulin and Blood Sugar
Insulin regulates the amount of blood glucose and is the key that allows glucose to enter cells. Extra glucose not used by the cells is stored in the liver/muscles as glycogen. If liver/muscle tissues are full, then the extra glucose is stored as fat in the adipose tissues. Some in the diet industry still recommend three meals and snacks every 2-3 hours. If you are continuously eating, then your blood sugar and insulin levels are always elevated. This prevents spikes in insulin but means any excess glucose is always stored as fat.
LOF- The body will not use fat as an energy source in the presence of high insulin levels. (According to Dr Jason Fung)
Insulin is controlled mainly by blood sugar, however there is evidence that some chemicals ie artificial sweeteners can increase insulin up to 400% but not affect blood sugar (BS) levels. In addition, there are studies that have proven artificial sweeteners adversely affect gut microbes leading to “leaky gut.” Leaky gut is a popular term used to describe how changes to intestinal bacteria and large proteins like lectin may lead to inflammation and be a precursor to chronic diseases.
LOF- High insulin levels mean you are constantly hungry and any extra glucose will immediately go to the liver/muscles and adipose tissue (fat) for storage.
LOF – High insulin levels result in weight gain even if calories are drastically reduced. (According to Dr Jason Fung)
First hand experience, as an experiment 6 bottles of flavoured water were consumed one after another. The flavored water had zero calories but were full of artificial sweeteners which by the way tasted wonderful. Throughout the day I was hungry no matter how much sugar, fat, salt, protein or carbs consumed. This was a huge finding, because I regularly fast for 5-7 days and not once during a fast felt as hungry as compared to having consumed excessive artificial sweeteners.
LOF – Avoid all artificial sweeteners, they don’t help to lose weight, in fact the opposite may be true!
If you have a sweet tooth and absolutely must have your sugar fix, use the real stuff!
The secret to finding foods that won’t spike your blood sugar is to use “glycemic index and glycemic load.” The glycemic index (GI) is based upon what 50 grams of food will do to your blood sugar 1-2 hours after consumption. The glycemic load takes into account the total quantity of the carbs eaten.
The lower the glycemic index (GI) the less it will impact blood sugar levels.
GI <55 is good
GI 56-69 less good
GI >70 is bad
The insulin index is more accurate compared to the glycemic index, however it’s very difficult to test outside of a laboratory. So at home we have to make do with measuring blood sugar. Thanks to research done by Kirstine Bell at the University of Sydney for most popular foods you can compare on one chart the effect of glycemic index, glycemic load, glucose and food insulin index.
Breaking illusions. Many so called healthy foods have a huge impact on insulin. The scale is 0-100 with anything over 100 having an impact on your blood sugar levels worse than pure glucose.
- cream 24, low fat cottage cheese 52, low fat yogurt 84
- cornflakes 82, shredded wheat 91, Grapenuts 110
- apple 43, apple juice 47, banana 59, Honeydew melon 93
- baked beans 88, potato 88
- tuna 16, eggs 23 beef steak 37
- butter 2, olive oil 3
- gin 1, wine 3, beer 20
- potato chip 53, donut 54, McDonald’s french fry 57, Coca-Cola 44, Fruit drink 76, Snickers bar 37, sherbet 76, Mars bar 89, pancake mix 110, jellybeans 117
Note the food insulin index of most processed foods is the same as a candy bar.
Blood sugar (BS) has a small range of healthy values. Your blood can tolerate about 4 grams of glucose. That’s 16 calories. The average fast food fountain soda drink sweetened with high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) has nearly 300 calories of sugar.
After 12 hours of fasting, BS >7.0 mmol/l (126 mg/dl) see your doctor
- 4-5.9 mmol/l (72- 106mg/dl) is the normal variation
- <7.8mmol/l (140 mg/dl) is the expected value 90 minutes after eating
- spikes above 13.9 mmol/l (250 mg/dl) are dangerous see your doctor, above 16.7 mmol/l (300 mg/ml) go to the emergency. You are hyperglycemic and could go into a diabetic coma.
- 3.8 – 5 mmol/l (70-90 mg/dl) is expected during a prolonged water/electrolyte only fast
- <2.77 mmol/l (50mg/dl) is dangerous. You are hypoglycemic
Unfortunately, test strips are the most accurate test method (involves a small blood sample). The FreeStyle Precision Neo is one of the only certified blood sugar and ketone meters in Canada. The price of the strips is around .75 for the blood sugar and around $3 for ketones.
My doctor measures blood sugar and HBA1c
Glucose in the blood stream will bond with haemoglobin (called glycated haemoglobin). Because red blood cells in the human body survive for 8-12 weeks before renewal, measuring glycated haemoglobin (or HbA1c) provides a useful longer-term gauge of blood glucose levels.
Below is different representation using mg/dl.
Cortisol
Cortisol is a hormone associated with stress. Long term expose to cortisol has been linked to numerous health ailments. Anything that can reduce long cortisol levels is desirable (walk you dog/cat, a good nights sleep, float tank, mediation, and moderate exercise all are beneficial in reducing stress). Cortisol is part of the fight or flight hormones and is released by the adrenal cortex. When the fight or flight reflex is triggered the sympathetic nervous system tells the pituitary and adrenal glands located on top of the kidneys to release adrenaline and cortisol.
Adrenaline prepares the body for “immediate” violent muscular action. Cortisol increases heart rate, blood pressure, creates glucose from stores of glycogen (glucocorticoid) in the liver and muscles, and suppresses the immune, digestive, and reproductive systems all in an effort to given the body the maximum amount of “short” term energy to fight or run away. This means that if you are stressed, your cortisol levels will be high, turning glycogen into glucose that insulin will turn to fat if your blood sugar levels are also high. This is one of the reasons why stress makes you fat. The other is when stressed we tend to eat comfort foods (highly processed carbs) that are high in salt and sugar.
Cortisol is released naturally by the body throughout the day, dropping off at night. If you suffer from hives or other autoimmune diseases your symptoms are often worse at night. The “morning effect” where blood sugar rises in the morning before any food is ingested has been attributed to cortisol.
Excess, long term exposure to cortisol ie constant high stress levels is linked with an increased risk of:
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Digestive problems
- Headaches
- Heart disease
- Sleep problems
- Weight gain
- Memory and concentration impairment
Glucose Ketone Index
The Warburg effect occurs when cell mitochondria (the cell’s energy engine) damaged by disease or cancer uses fermentation instead of oxidization to process glucose for energy. The effect was named after a German doctor, Otto Warburg who won the Noble prize for medicine in 1931. Ketogenic diets replace glucose which all cells can consume with ketones which only healthy cells can consume. The Glucose Ketone Index (GKI) was developed to track the ratio of blood glucose to ketone as a single value. Experimentation has shown a clear relationship between GKI and the therapeutic efficacy of using ketogenic diets.
Measuring Glucose Ketone index (GKI)
GKI = glucose/ketone
Average person is 50-75
The ultimate goal is a GKI target <1
GKI ranges
- <3 high state of ketosis – good for treating epilepsy and cancer
- 3-6 moderate state of ketosis- good for treating many types of metabolic diseases, including insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes or obesity
- 6-9 low state of ketosis – appropriate level for weight loss or maintaining optimal health and weight.
- >9 no ketosis
In Canada blood sugar is measured in mmol/l the same as ketones. In the United States blood sugar is measured in mg/dl. Divide mg/ml by 18 to convert to mmol/l.
Diabetic Ketoacidosis
Diabetic ketoacidosis is a life threatening possible complication of diabetes that occurs when your body produces high levels of ketones accompanied with high blood sugar. Type 1 diabetics are the most at risk of the condition. Type 2 diabetics need to be aware of the condition. If you have ketones >3 mmol/l and blood sugar >13.8 mmol/l (250mg/dl) see your doctor immediately. If you blood sugar is >16.7 mmol/l (300 mg/dl) go to the emergency. The condition develops when the pancreas cannot produce enough insulin (high blood sugar > 13.8 mmol/l (250mg/dl)) and tries to breakdown fat for fuel (ketones). The combination of high blood sugar and ketones causes the blood to become acidic. Symptoms
|