The Taming of Insulin

[FUZO]

Tweet"The Taming of Insulin: How to make it work for you"
by Cy Willson



Not only can the following compounds exert those awesome effects in manipulating insulin and insulin sensitivity, thereby increasing muscle mass and decreasing body fat, but some of them possess some pretty potent antioxidant properties. So, they're actually healthy for you too!

Biotin

While biotin may not be new to either you or your body (as your body already makes some), it has some pretty cool effects on insulin sensitivity, and consequently, on blood glucose levels and control. In a couple of studies, results indicated that biotin may have the ability to act directly on the insulin secreting function of the pancreatic beta cells, the ones that secrete insulin. In one study, glucose metabolism was significantly improved, as was insulin sensitivity. These types of results were seen with dosages of around 9-16 milligrams per day.

Vitamin E

Good ol' vitamin E. It's been shown to be great for a number of things, especially its role as an antioxidant. However, in one study, ten healthy, human subjects and fifteen non-insulin dependent diabetics were given 1,350 IU per day for four months. In both healthy and diabetic subjects, vitamin E supplementation was shown to improve glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity. This is yet another reason to start taking vitamin E if you aren't already doing so. A dosage of around 800-1400 IU should be sufficient.

Magnesium

Yep, there's no limit to what magnesium can do. I make mine go to the clubs and pick me up some hot ladies, which saves me a lot of time! The problem here is that people aren't consuming enough in their diet or are supplementing with terribly absorbed forms, rather than aspartate or another Krebs cycle intermediate. Magnesium has some profound effects on insulin and glucose metabolism. In fact, it was found that insulin-mediated glucose disposal was decreased in normal human subjects with relatively low plasma magnesium levels.

It also improved glucose metabolism and when combined with vanadyl, it had a synergistic effect on improvement of both glycogen synthesis and insulin sensitivity. As far as dosages, take around 350-600 milligrams of the aspartate form per day, but make sure not to consume it with any calcium.

Zinc

Yep, not only does zinc play an integral part in sex hormone production, but it also plays many roles in insulin utilization, secretion, and synthesis. It was even shown to improve insulin levels in Type I and Type II diabetics. Since it's just an overall important mineral, it should be supplemented into the diet at around 20-30 mg per day. Just make sure to get the aspartate form and never take it with a phytate-containing fiber, as it binds to the zinc and basically renders it useless. (By the way, if you're taking a quality ZMA supplement from a company like Twinlab, Biotest, or EAS, then you've got the zinc and magnesium thing covered. According to Victor Conte, the scientist who formulated the stuff, other companies such as Met-Rx, Designer Protein and Optimum Nutrition are not selling "authentic" ZMA and therefore, it may not be as bioavailable as the real stuff.)

Potassium

Potassium supplementation has been shown to improve insulin sensitivity, responsiveness, and secretion. While it's commonly found in foods, you could still benefit from some additional supplementation, just don't get crazy and get some prescription K+ salts. As far as dosages go, 1-2 grams is enough, since going overboard on K+ supplementation can be dangerous and can lead to some nasty and potentially deadly side effects.

Alpha Lipoic Acid

ALA has been shown to be both water and fat soluble, as well as having potent antioxidant effects. Furthermore, it's had some pretty astounding affects on both insulin sensitivity and glucose disposal. It's also unique in that it's been shown to increase glucose storage in muscle tissue, and not in adipose tissue. Therefore, it seems to increase sensitivity in muscle tissue only. Take around 600 mg per day in divided dosages.

Taurine

This amino acid is quite necessary for muscle tissue and has actually been shown to increase insulin sensitivity and lower the amounts of intra-abdominal adipose tissue. That's the fat underneath your abs that some doctors call "heart attack fat." Not only this, but taurine possesses some anti-catabolic properties as well. I can't give exact dosages at this time, but around 2-6 grams should be sufficient.

Vanadyl Sulfate

While this mineral has been in some bodybuilders' cupboards for years because of it's "real world" effects on getting a pump, it's fallen by the wayside in the past few years. This is probably because of the "inconclusive" evidence as to whether it works or not. Although it was found recently that vanadyl doesn't modify the actions of insulin to stimulate glycogen synthesis, it does improve glucose utilization. It was therefore concluded that vanadyl must act at other steps of insulin action, which would explain the lack of evidence for modifying glycogen storage. I'd say that if it works for you, keep using it. The dosage is around 30mg per day.

The Flavonoids ? Epicatechin and Quercetin

While these plant derived flavonoids may be somewhat familiar to some of you for their super potent antioxidant properties, they possess some powerful effects on insulin as well. First, epicatechin was found to have insulin-like activity, and also was found to reduce glucose levels in a similar fashion to the drug metformin! It was also shown to possess antihyperlipidemic properties in another study, meaning it reduces blood fats.

That's some potent stuff, but wait 'till you hear about quercetin! When islets of Langerhans (a type of tissue that partially composes the pancreas and secretes insulin and glucagon directly into the bloodstream) were exposed to either epicatechin or quercetin, insulin release was enhanced by approximately 44-70%! Here's the best part, though. In one study, quercetin selectively inhibited the insulin stimulating effects on glucose transport, oxidation, and it's incorporation into lipids, decreasing lipogenesis by 50%! In other words, it blocked lipogenesis (fat production) caused by insulin and insulin mimicking agents! Now that's impressive!

As far as sources for these flavonoids, grape seed extract or bilberry at 800-2,000 mg per day, is rich in quercetin ? 300 mg of green tea extract per day contains enough epicatechin. On a side note, quercetin has been shown to bind at the estrogen receptor and may exert some estrogenic effects. So, you'll need to weigh the evidence yourself and decide whether it's for you.

Momordica Charantia

This fruit, otherwise known as bitter melon, contains a mixture of sterols that possess super potent hypoglycemic properties. In fact, it's more potent than the oral hypoglycemic drug, Tolbutamide. In one study, after two hours of an oral glucose load of 75 grams, 86% of patients given the extract showed a hypoglycemic effect. It was also shown to increase the rate of glycogen formation by 4-5 times. This was attributed to an increase in glucose utilization. If you want to use it, take 1-3 150 mg capsules per day.

[FUZO]

TweetThe Drugs!

Now for those of you who'd like to take advantage of insulin and the benefits of being sensitive through drug use, I've compiled the following list.

Acetohexamide

This is a derivative of sulfonylureas. Sulfonylureas are compounds that stimulate the islet tissue on the pancreas to synthesize and release endogenous insulin. In general, for those who are insulin resistant, these aren't very beneficial, as they only increase insulin levels to a higher degree. Acetohexamide, however, is unique in the sense that it can increase insulin sensitivity on insulin receptors and improve peripheral utilization of insulin.

Acarbose

This is an alpha-glucosidase inhibitor. This means that it's able to prevent sugars such as maltose and sucrose from being broken down. It works by prolonging the absorption of carbohydrates. It's been shown to decrease somatostatin levels, which theoretically, could lead to an increase in GH. It's also been shown to decrease triglycerides as well as improve the ratio of LDL to HDL.

Benfluorex

This is a derivative of the anoretic drug, Fenfluramine. It works similarly to metformin by increasing insulin sensitivity in peripheral tissues. It also has a slight appetite suppressant effect and can decrease cholesterol while increasing HDL levels.

Glyburide

This drug differs from others in that it may increase the number of insulin receptors resulting in increased insulin sensitivity.

Clofibrate

While the new compounds being used to treat insulin resistance (called glitazones) have proven to be quite effective, another class referred to as fibrates (currently used for their antilipidemic properties) may prove to be just as effective in terms of increasing sensitivity while not resulting in a gain of body fat, and possibly even reducing it. Clofibrate, also known as Atromid-S, could prove to be a rival to metformin. However, to my knowledge, this has only been found in animal models. So, stay tuned and be on the look out!

Metformin

This drug is my personal favorite. Why? Well, the problem with most other insulin sensitizing drugs is that they don't work selectively to sensitize only muscle tissue. Their increased insulin sensitivity occurs in peripheral tissue, meaning both adipocytes and myocytes. However, metformin works by increasing sensitivity in muscle tissue only.

Unlike sulfonylureas, it doesn't cause an increase in fat. In terms of dropping body fat and maintaining insulin sensitivity while using insulin, this is the superior drug. Dosages range between 500-2500 mg per day with meals. They typically come in 500 and 850 mg tabs.

Insulin

In terms of staying absolutely insulin sensitive, avoiding exogenous insulin is important. However, for those of you who choose to use insulin in order to increase muscle mass, it's important to use metformin along with it and even afterward. Be careful though. Every time you inject a fast acting insulin, you run the risk of going into a hypoglycemic shock and dying, which would really mess up your sex life. You can come up with your own ideas on how to avoid this, or you can do what my large friend (6'3", 285 lbs at 8% body fat) does: sit down with a container of dextrose or maltose and drink it until you no longer feel like passing out. Needless to say, this is scary stuff!

In terms of reducing insulin resistance, one type of insulin actually does the job. It's called insulin lispro. It's made with recombinant DNA technology by altering the pharmaceutical profile. This insulin is also known as Humalog, and it's the only form of insulin to which patients with severe insulin resistance responded.

It has a shorter and more consistent duration of action than most other types of insulin, which makes it safer and less likely to increase body fat. As a side note, if you're using any type of insulin, make sure to supplement with magnesium and potassium, as they're both depleted while using it.

Anabolic Steroids

While anabolic steroids have many affects on the human body, one of interest to us may be their ability to increase glucose disposal, possibly leading to an increase in insulin sensitivity. In one study, healthy males were given 300 mg/week of either Testosterone enanthate or nandrolone decanoate for six weeks. At the end of the study, it was found that while TE had no detrimental effect on glucose disposal, ND had increased glucose disposal to a significant degree. These findings were in conflict with what was found in the use of 17-alpha alkylated steroids. So, according to this, the best anabolic to use while trying to improve insulin sensitivity may be Deca! The benefits of this 'roid never seem to end.

[Congo]

TweetI got a friend who uses insulin all the time. the guy is nutz

[Congo]

Tweetbut good read