The Taming of Insulin
How to make it work for you
Insulin's effects are the center of discussion around every dinner table in the world. Every man, woman and child knows about the importance of insulin and it's various roles. Why, moms even make sure to pack lunches containing the precise amounts of macros to provide a steady and stable insulin release so their little kiddies can focus and learn in school. Why, just last night, presidential candidate Al Gore promised that three billion tax dollars will be allocated to prevent the resistance to insulin in America!
Okay, okay, maybe I'm exaggerating just a little! Maybe the general public doesn't view insulin sensitivity and the effects of insulin in the same light as we do. However, for bodybuilders, the above doesn't seem so far fetched. We know how important insulin is to us. We know it's one of the most important hormones in the body in terms of our bodybuilding efforts. Is it just as important as my own beloved hormone, Testosterone? Well, as much as I hate to say it, yes.
The reason why insulin is so important is because it's so versatile. It's a hormone that must be manipulated, regardless of the person. Whether you have a hard time gaining muscle or dropping fat, insulin can be a very powerful friend or foe. For those trying to gain muscle mass, spiking insulin levels, while insulin sensitivity is high, can provide a tremendous amount of anti-catabolism in the presence of amino acids. This can, of course, lead to a large increase in muscle mass. This is also one of the reasons many pro bodybuilders use exogenous insulin.
On the other hand, insulin resistance can cause a tremendous amount of fat storage. For someone trying to drop body fat, having muscle tissue that's very sensitive to insulin's effects can be very important. Otherwise, losing fat can be extremely difficult. Not only can insulin affect the "golden pair," i.e. muscle gain and fat loss, but it can also affect other hormones as well. It can affect just about every hormone there is, including Testosterone.
So, what brings about insulin resistance? Well, one of the main contributing factors is the GI or glycemic index of a food. Chronic consumption of foods that have a high GI, and consequently cause a large release of insulin, will cause the insulin receptors to become less receptive to insulin. This is where you begin to run into problems, such as: increased hunger, an increased chance of coronary heart disease, decreased fat usage, increased aldosterone (the hormone that causes water retention), increased cortisol, decreased growth hormone, a deficiency of chromium, increased homocysteine levels (a risk factor for coronary artery disease), decreased IGF-1, increased SHBG (sex hormone binding globulin), and decreased Testosterone.(1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10) AAAAY! No!
To prevent all of these horrible things caused by insulin resistance, a diet consisting of low GI foods can decrease insulin resistance.(11) This is one reason why low carb diets are all the rage here lately. For a more complete review of the GI and some food listings, check out this site.
In general, though, any type of carb that is highly processed has a terribly high GI. So, if it comes in a bag or a box, chances are, you should avoid it.
Because of all the affects that insulin has on both fat loss and muscular gains (as well as health and hormones) I'm going to reveal to you the best ways to become and/or stay sensitive to insulin. First, we'll start with dietary manipulations, then supplements, and finally, we'll look at drugs.
Diet: Put Down That Rice Cake, Fatty!
Before we get started, I'd like to list the benefits of controlling glucose levels by eating low GI foods. It would be easy enough to assume that whatever insulin resistance may cause, insulin sensitivity would produce the opposite. The most interesting benefits would be increased IGF-1, increased Testosterone, increased fat utilization, and for you health crazed guys, decreased LDL, increased HDL levels, and even more important, increased Glutathione levels.(8,12,13,14,15,16) Glutathione is our body's own natural antioxidant. Very potent stuff!
Okay now, let's get down to business! I know there are a lot of foods that can be classified as having a low GI. However, there are some sources of macronutrients that reign far superior to others in terms of how they affect insulin sensitivity.
Fat
We know that saturated fat and trans-fatty acids should be avoided as much as possible because of their detrimental effects on insulin sensitivity.(17,18) So now, the only question is which type of fat would be best to not only lower the GI of other foods, but to also increase insulin sensitivity.
The first type of fat that has beneficial effects beyond just slowing down the rate of digestion, is none other than monounsaturated fat. This particular fat has been shown to improve glucose metabolism and to lower LDL levels to a further extent when compared to polyunsaturated fat.(19,20) It was also shown to decrease insulin and blood pressure. Rich sources of monounsaturated fat include peanuts and pistachios.
Now, don't jump to conclusions and say that I told you to stop consuming polyunsaturated fats rich in omega-6 fatty acids. They are indeed very important and we need them; however, this is the type of fat that most people typically consume large quantities of already and consequently increase their chances of becoming insulin resistant. You see, consuming this type of fat (in large quantities, for extended periods of time) is what can cause problems. It's still far better than saturated fats and trans-fatty acids, though.
The last type of fat is also polyunsaturated, but instead, it's rich in omega-3 fatty acids. These are, by far, the most superior in terms of their direct effects on insulin sensitivity. Including this type of fat in your diet can prevent insulin resistance, improve insulin sensitivity, reduce insulin and glucose levels, and decrease protein degradation. (21,22,23,24,25) It's likely that omega-3's accomplish these feats by modifying the phospholipid components in the skeletal muscle membrane, possibly making it more permeable to glucose. Rich sources are fish oil, flax, and walnuts. When adding any of these fats to your diet, try to get in a minimum of 4-6 grams per meal.
Carbohydrates
When carbs are concerned, we must be very careful, as this is the macro that can have the most dramatic affect on our insulin levels and consequently, how "sensitive" to the effects of insulin our tissues remain.
You probably know that sugars are usually the first thing you should avoid when trying to lower insulin resistance, but one sugar can actually benefit you when consumed in sane amounts. That's right, my favorite, fructose. It was shown to increase insulin sensitivity by 34% in diabetic patients.(26) It also has a lot of other benefits that I've already discussed in my article called The Forbidden Fruit.
We all know that it's also important to consume insoluble fiber in order to slow digestion and thus lower the GI of our food. Common sources are oat bran, oatmeal, veggies, and certain fruits. However, soluble fibers can also provide some benefit to us as well. One such fiber would be guar gum. Taking 5-7 grams three times daily with meals can significantly reduce the rate at which glucose enters the bloodstream, thereby leading to a reduction of insulin levels and an increase in sensitivity.
Protein
In terms of what type of protein to consume, there really isn't any conclusive evidence that one type will significantly differ from another in terms of an insulin release. However, when trying to create a meal with an extremely low GI, it would make more sense to use something like casein that has a slower release of amino acids than something like whey (when used alone). This way you'll create a meal that allows for the most stable release of amino acids and glucose.
Putting it all Together
When trying to combine foods in order to create the lowest GI possible and create a steady environment for muscle growth, energy levels, and fat usage, consider the following: Try using a slow digesting protein, such as casein. Then, use a combination of fats like omega-3, omega-6, and monounsaturated sources, ideally at each meal. Lastly, if you want to use a sweetener, use fructose, along with some type of fiber like guar gum in order to slow digestion even further.
As an interesting tidbit, what types of foods you consume can also have an affect on your endogenous Testosterone levels. In fact, it's been demonstrated that when glycemic control was improved in men, Testosterone and its metabolites increased to a significant degree.(12) It's also been shown that HDL levels have a positive effect on T-levels as well.(27) Therefore, increasing the type of fat that raises HDL the most (monounsaturated) would lead to an increase in Testosterone. Why is it so important to increase T-levels (aside from the usual reasons)? Well, it's been shown that low endogenous levels of Testosterone may play a role in the development of insulin resistance.(28)
Are You Insulin Resistant?
Since there have been a lot people asking me for tips on how they can tell if they're insulin resistant, I've come up with a few quick tests. Now, don't get me wrong here, these aren't by any means 100% accurate indicators of insulin sensitivity. They may, however, tell you if you're higher up the scale in terms of insulin resistance.
It's been shown that insulin acts as a vasodilator, causing the blood vessels and vascular tissue to expand and relax.(29) So, it can be assumed that if you're insulin resistant to a significant degree, then your veins may not come to the surface very well after ingesting some type of carbohydrate. This is because the receptors aren't allowing insulin to dock. (Of course, if you're fat, you won't see too many veins anyway.) It's also known that a large increase in blood glucose levels will cause an increase in insulin as well. If muscle tissue is resistant to insulin, then the normal hypoglycemic "bonk" or blood glucose drop that causes drowsiness won't occur.
Combining these two ideas together, I came up with this test: In the morning, before consuming anything else, take in some type of high GI food, like white bread or anything with a GI above 100. Then, for about the next 20 minutes to an hour, see how you respond. If you notice an increase in how pumped your muscles feel and your veins come to the surface, and you start to feel drowsy, then it's likely that your insulin sensitivity is high (and that's good.)
If, however, these things don't occur, it's likely that you may at least be insulin resistant to a moderate degree. If you are, try the foods and tips above. Don't waste time. It's been shown that consuming a low GI meal can improve insulin sensitivity and lower triglyceride levels in only one day!(30)
The Supplement Arsenal!
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.(31,32) 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.(33) 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.(34)
It also improved glucose metabolism and when combined with vanadyl, it had a synergistic effect on improvement of both glycogen synthesis and insulin sensitivity.(35, 36) 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.