I have been reading about the role of insulin in losing weight. According to what I was reading, when we eat food, especially foods that are high-carb foods; our body releases insulin to get the extra sugar out of the blood, and happily puts it in our fat cells. One of the main jobs of insulin is to regulate the blood sugar level. Sometimes, the insulin takes the sugar out of the blood, and then we have low blood sugar, and that makes us want to eat something with carbs in it to get the blood sugar back up where it is supposed to be again. This can get to be a vicious cycle, especially for someone that is carb intolerant (like I am). When you eat foods that are not high-carb, or are slower processing carbs (like veggies), then the insulin does not spike like it does otherwise. The less insulin you release, the less sugar is stored as fat. Chromium also plays a part in this, as it helps your body not to over-release the insulin, and helps relieve any sugar cravings when it does that. When we do not have enough chromium, then the body has to use more insulin to process the excess sugars. Unfortunately, we need more chromium as we get older; but also usually have more of a shortage then. I have been reading the "Carbohydrate Addict's Lifespan Program" by Richard and Rachel Heller, and it explains how this works. The chromium that they recommend is called GTF chromium, which means "glucose tolerance factor chromium". This is a natural chromium made from Brewers yeast (which is one of the foods that is highest in chromium), and it is the kind that the body can absorb the easiest. http://www.nutritionexpress.com/showarticle.aspx?articleid=744
I'm sorry if this is a segue. The mere mention of insulin reminds me of diabetics. My 25-year old niece is on insulin, having shots of 5 times a day to control the fluctuation of blood sugar in her body. It's a grim thought that she would be needing those insulin shots as long as she lives. My father-in-law was not on insulin but he died of diabetic complications. A former colleague is now sick with severe diabetes due to insulin issues again. I wonder why diabetes is getting prevalent. Is it because of the food we eat, of the modern lifestyle or is it genetic in nature?
Corrie There is basic two types of Diabetes one is you are born with it and it shows up when you are very young. The pancreas is not producing insulin or not enough this can be helped with diet but not cured. The other which is type two which shows up later in life this is a the inability og the cells to recognise insulin most type two diabetes have more insulin in their blood than a non diabetic. The cure for type two diabetes has been known for more than 70 years but it not good for business to cure people when they can make you a life long customer.