Tag Archives: insulin

Build Your Muscles to Boost Insulin Response!

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Increasing lean muscle mass—already known to be important to fight frailty with aging (a condition called sarcopenia)—may also help protect against diabetes. A new study reports that every additional 10% of skeletal muscle mass was associated with an 11% reduction in insulin resistance and a 12% lower risk of transitional, prediabetes or diabetes.

“While we knew there was a relationship between metabolic disorders and very low muscle mass,” says lead researcher Preethi Srikanthan, MD, of the University of California-Los Angeles, “we were surprised to find that this relationship was preserved across the range of muscle mass.”

Dr. Srikanthan and colleagues examined data on 13,644 participants in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) III, from 1988 to 1994. When researchers compared the one-quarter of participants with the most muscle mass with those at the bottom of the spectrum, those with the greatest muscle mass were 63% less prone to diabetes.

When the results were adjusted to omit people already suffering from diabetes, the association between muscle mass and improved insulin resistance was even stronger. The benefits of increasing muscle mass went beyond countering the metabolic effects of sarcopenia: “Increases in muscle mass above even average levels were associated with additional protection against insulin resistance and prediabetes.”

Insulin resistance is a condition in which the body’s muscle, fat and liver cells don’t respond properly to insulin, a hormone made by the pancreas that helps cells take in and use glucose. As a result, excess glucose—a form of sugar that’s the body’s main source of energy—builds up in the bloodstream, setting the stage for diabetes.

According to Dr. Srikanthan, “Our findings suggest that beyond focusing on losing weight to improve metabolic health, there may be a role for maintaining fitness and building muscle mass. This is a welcome message for many overweight patients who experience difficulty in achieving weight loss, as any effort to get moving and keep fit should be seen as laudable and contributing to metabolic change.”

The study was cross-sectional rather than interventional, so the researchers can’t say for certain that increasing your muscle mass will lower your risk of developing insulin resistance or pre-diabetes.
Source of information:  Tufts University Health and Nutrition Letter

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L-Carnitine Lowers Blood Sugar Levels!

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L-Carnitine is an amino acid that is naturally produced in the body and plays a vital role in the metabolism of fat. It functions as a transporter of fatty acids into the mitochondria. L-carnitine helps the body produce energy. Premature infants and some adults cannot make L-carnitine in sufficient amounts, which necessitates supplementation. L-carnitine is effective in treating and preventing L-carnitine deficiency and increasing red blood cell count in people with serious kidney disease. L-carnitine is only found in animal food sources such as meat, poultry, and dairy products. Human breast milk is an important source of L-carnitine for infants.

Researchers from the University of Stirling in Scotland investigated L-carnitine (LC) supplementation and its effect on blood glucose levels. The study recruited 8 lean male participants and 8 overweight/obese male participants and were administered either 3 grams of L-carnitine or 3 grams of glucose per day with their meals for 14 days. Participants then were required to undergo an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) which meant ingesting 75 grams of glucose and then measuring the effects. The L-carnitine group of lean men experienced significantly lower blood sugar levels than the placebo group of lean men. On the other hand, the L-carnitine group of overweight/obese men experienced higher blood sugar levels than the placebo group of overweight/obese men. The authors stated “The glucose handling/disposal response to oral LC is different between lean and overweight/obese suggesting that further investigation is required. LC effects on gastric emptying and/or direct ‘insulin-like’ actions on tissues should be examined in larger samples of overweight/obese and lean participants, respectively.”1

1 Galloway SD, Craig TP, Cleland SJ. Effects of oral L: -carnitine supplementation on insulin sensitivity indices in response to glucose feeding in lean and overweight/obese males. Amino Acids. Jul2011;41(2):507-15.

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A low carbohydrate, high protein diet slows tumor growth and prevents cancer initiation!

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Since cancer cells depend on glucose more than normal cells, we compared the effects of low carbohydrate (CHO) diets to a Western diet on the growth rate of tumors in mice. To avoid caloric restriction-induced effects, we designed the low CHO diets isocaloric with the Western diet by increasing protein rather than fat levels because of the reported tumor-promoting effects of high fat and the immune-stimulating effects of high protein. We found that both murine and human carcinomas grew slower in mice on diets containing low amylose CHO and high protein compared with a Western diet characterized by relatively high CHO and low protein. There was no weight difference between the tumor-bearing mice on the low CHO or Western diets. Additionally, the low CHO-fed mice exhibited lower blood glucose, insulin, and lactate levels. Additive antitumor effects with the low CHO diets were observed with the mTOR inhibitor CCI-779 and especially with the COX-2 inhibitor Celebrex, a potent anti-inflammatory drug. Strikingly, in a genetically engineered mouse model of HER-2/neu-induced mammary cancer, tumor penetrance in mice on a Western diet was nearly 50% by the age of 1 year whereas no tumors were detected in mice on the low CHO diet. This difference was associated with weight gains in mice on the Western diet not observed in mice on the low CHO diet. Moreover, whereas only 1 mouse on the Western diet achieved a normal life span, due to cancer-associated deaths, more than 50% of the mice on the low CHO diet reached or exceeded the normal life span. Taken together, our findings offer a compelling preclinical illustration of the ability of a low CHO diet in not only restricting weight gain but also cancer development and progression. Cancer Res; 71(13); 4484-93. ©2011 AACR.

To view the abstract:  Cancer Res. 2011 Jul 1;71(13):4484-93. Epub 2011 Jun 14.

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L-carnitine Shows Blood Sugar Benefits! Diabetics Must Read!

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I personally take 1 Gram of L-Carnitine (Carnipure) (as L-Carnitine L-Tartrate) 3 time per day on an empty stomach.  This will make a world of difference in your fat metabolism and blood sugar regulation.  If you are interested, send me a message and I will let you in on my full regime of daily supplements.  Nixon Elite

 

Daily supplements of L-carnitine may improve how the body handles glucose, and prevent spikes in blood sugar levels, suggests a new study from Scotland with implications for diabetics.

A daily dose of L-carnitine produced a reduction in levels of blood sugar of lean men 30 minutes after being fed 75 grams of glucose – called an oral glucose tolerance test – while the response was different in overweight and obese men, indicating that these individuals may not be as sensitive to insulin, according to findings published in journal Amino Acids.

“The pattern of response in glucose with L-carnitine supplementation in lean participants (earlier timing of peak glucose and lower 30 min glucose concentration) seems to support a mechanism of enhanced glucose disposal through a direct insulin-like action on skeletal muscle” report researchers led by Stuart Galloway from the University of Stirling in Scotland.

“The pattern of change in overweight/ obese with L-carnitine (delayed timing of peak glucose and higher 90 min glucose concentration) appears to support delayed gastric emptying, but these observations need further evaluation.

“This differential response to an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). in lean and overweight/obese participants following oral L-carnitine supplementation could explain some of the conflicting reports on metabolic responses to carnitine supplementation evident in the literature.”

The ingredient

L-Carnitine, a vitamin-like nutrient, occurs naturally in the human body and is essential for turning fat into energy. It is frequently used as a dietary supplement by physically active people to help with post-exercise recovery.

The potential health conditions of the ingredient include cardiovascular benefits, weight management potential, sports nutrition (energy and recover), and maintaining levels during pregnancy.

A recent report on L-carnitine from Global Industry Analysts Inc. predicted the global market to be worth $127 million by 2017, with sports drinks and nutritional powders continuing to drive end use.

While the market continues to be dominated by the likes of Lonza, the new report states that Chinese manufacturers have “seized the market reins” in a relatively short time, and China is now responsible for 48 percent of the global L-carnitine production (2008 values).

The L-carnitine used in the present study was administered in the form of L-carnitine L-tartrate and supplied by Lonza.

Study details

Dr Galloway and his co-workers recruited eight lean and eight overweight and obese men to participate in their 14 day study.

The men received either three grams of L-carnitine or three grams of glucose per day with their meals for 14 days. Subjects then underwent an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), which involved feeding them 75 grams of glucose, and then measuring the effects.

Blood sugar levels were found to be significantly lower in the L-carnitine group of lean men than in the glucose fed lean men 30 minutes after ingestion.

On the flip side, blood glucose levels were higher in overweight and obese men 90 minutes after ingesting L-carnitine, compared to placebo, indicating an effect of gastric emptying, said the researchers.

“It is concluded that L-carnitine supplementation induces changes in blood glucose handling/disposal during an OGTT, which is not influenced by [the gut hormone] GLP-1.

“The glucose handling/disposal response to oral L-carnitine is different between lean and overweight/obese suggesting that further investigation is required.

“L-carnitine effects on gastric emptying and/or direct ‘insulin-like’ actions on tissues should be examined in larger samples of overweight/obese and lean participants, respectively,” they added.

Source: Amino Acids
Volume 41, Number 2, 507-515, doi: 10.1007/s00726-010-0770-5
“Effects of oral l-carnitine supplementation on insulin sensitivity indices in response to glucose feeding in lean and overweight/obese males”
Authors: S.D.R. Galloway, T.P. Craig, S.J. Cleland

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The #1 Thing That 26 Million Americans Have In Common…..Diabetes!

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The CDC says about 26 million adult Americans have diabetes and that 79 million more have prediabetes, a condition that raises the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and stroke.

Prediabetes is a condition in which blood sugar levels are higher than normal, but not so high as to result in a diagnosis of diabetes.

“These distressing numbers show how important it is to prevent type 2 diabetes and to help those who have diabetes manage the disease to prevent serious complications such as kidney failure and blindness,” Ann Albright, PhD, RD, director of CDC’s Division of Diabetes Translation, says in a news release. “We know that a structured lifestyle program that includes losing weight and increasing physical activity can prevent or delay type 2 diabetes.”

The report says 8.3% of Americans of all ages and 11.3% of adults aged 20 and older are affected by diabetes. What’s more, about 27% of Americans with diabetes, or about 7 million people, do not know they have the disease.

About 35% of adults age 20 and over have prediabetes.

Diabetes Cases Rising

The number of people with diabetes is apparently rising, according to the CDC. It says that in 2008, about 23.6 million Americans, or 7.8% of the population, had diabetes and 57 million more had prediabetes.

The CDC’s new report says one reason more people have diabetes is that people are living longer with the disease. Better management of diabetes is improving cardiovascular disease risk factors and reducing such complications as amputations and kidney failure.

The CDC says as many as third of U.S. adults could have diabetes by the year 2050 if current trends don’t change.

According to the CDC, type 2 diabetes, in which the body gradually loses its ability to use insulin, accounts for 90% to 95% of diabetes cases. Risk factors include obesity, family history, older age, sedentary lifestyles, race, ethnicity, and having had gestational diabetes, which only occurs during pregnancy.

Groups at greatest risk include African-Americans, Hispanics, American Indians and Alaska natives, and some Asian-Americans and Pacific islanders.

A Costly Disease

A new fact sheet from the CDC says:

  • Most cases of diabetes among children and adolescents are type 1, once called juvenile diabetes. This disease develops when the body can’t make insulin.
  • About 215,000 Americans under age 20 have diabetes.
  • In 2010, about 1.9 million Americans were diagnosed with diabetes.
  • Diabetes rates were 16.1% for American Indians and Alaska natives, 12.6% for blacks, 11.8% for Hispanics, 8.4% for Asian Americans, and 7.1% for whites.
  • Half of Americans 65 and older have prediabetes and 27% have diabetes.

The CDC says diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in the U.S. and that those with the disease are more likely to have heart attacks, strokes, high blood pressure, kidney failure, blindness, and to need amputations of feet and legs. The disease costs the country $174 billion a year.

The CDC says people with prediabetes can sometimes prevent or delay development of a diabetes diagnosis by increasing their physical activity and losing weight.

In addition to well-known health problems caused by diabetes, periodontal disease also is more common in people with diabetes. About one-third of people with diabetes have severe periodontal disease, according to the CDC fact sheet.

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Is White Bread Making You FAT? The Answer is YES!

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Exercise won’t offset the waist-inflating effect of white bread, according to a new studying in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.  Among exercisers, those who ate refined grains daily had 12 percent more visceral fat – the most dangerous kind – than those who consumed less of the processed product.  The researchers also found that people who ate whole grains had 17 percent less belly flab then those who consumed refined grains.  Here is the catch:  Continuing to consume refined grains offsets the fat blasting effects of whole grains.  Pasta, English muffins, white bread, and pizza are you primary offenders.  Cut these carbs, and replace them with a least three servings of whole grains a day.

The more refined foods a person eats, the more insulin must be produced to manage it. Insulin promotes the storage of fat, making way for rapid weight gain and elevated triglyceride levels, which can lead to heart disease. Over time, the pancreas gets so overworked that insulin production grinds to a halt, and hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) or diabetes sets in. Either way, the body is getting little or no fuel from the food you eat and tries to convert muscle and fat into energy.

Before you go CRAZY eating all the whole grains you can handle, remember this:  Even the carbs in whole grains will cause you to gain weight or prevent you from losing weight if they are over consumed.  Anyone who knows me knows that I am not a fan of bread, pasta, rice or pretty much any kind of starchy food.  I recommend removing all starches from you diet.  My motto is:  If it is white, don’t eat it.  This includes potatoes, rice, bread, sugar, anything containing flour.

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