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Your insulin response is the reason you are fat

Posted by Dr Sandy on in Obesity | 607 Views | Leave a response

Click to listen to the audio…

Why am I getting fat ?  Lessons from heavier kids

the insulin response at 5 years old matters

A bigger insulin response makes for bigger kids – being bigger can be an advantage, but being too big i.e. getting fat, isn’t. Insulin response is the key

If you’re struggling with weight issues……. experts will tell you, it’s implicitly your fault.

You are eating too much and moving too little.

I’m not overeating

But, are you really THAT BAD ?

A careful analysis of the eating and exercise habits of people with weight issues, suggests that more often than not, they’re not doing anything different from everyone else.

So it must be bad genes ?

Genes plus something

Genes do matter.  But, the bad genes argument doesn’t really explain, the current obesity epidemic.

Your genes are NOT that different from previous generations, who WERE NOT FAT.

So it cannot be genes alone !

It’s genes PLUS something………………

The something is not just simply eating too much and moving too little.

Blame insulin

The biology implicates INSULIN as “the something”.

Now when most people hear the word insulin, they’re thinking insulin DEFICIENCY.  Not having enough is a health crisis, it causes sugar levels to  spike.  And high sugar i.e. hyperglycemia is seriously damaging.

So for anyone with diabetes/pre-diabetes, having MORE insulin is the objective.

More insulin please

This makes sense for the type 1 diabetic.

Insulin is MISSING !

But, it does seem a little odd………for the type 2 diabetic, because insulin levels are actually in the stratosphere.

This phenomenon is referred to as hyperinsulinemia.

Insulin resistance is blamed…..

Insulin resistance

In a nut shell, the insulin is running around like a mad man, trying to get cells to obey i.e. take up glucose.

But…………. NO ONE is listening.

The body’s response to this defiant behaviour of the cells, is to yell louder i.e. more insulin is pumped out – hence hyper-insulinemia.

The hyperinsulinemia is the consequence !

Or is it ?

This is what a group of Chinese researchers wondered.  They decided to look at the situation in “healthy” 5 year olds, rather than adults.

The chicken or the egg ?

One of the problems with looking at what is going on in metabolically challenged adults is …………… it’s complicated.

Because metabolic problems take years to develop.

If you look when things have gone “wrong”, it’s difficult to establish “where” things went “wrong” first, because the body is a dynamic system.   If something goes wrong in one place, the entire system shifts.

NOTE :  This is why anyone with metabolic problems has anomalies in pretty much every part of their metabolism.   Eish ! 

In the beginning there was….

The study took place in the Longnan district in Da Quing City – normal weight (mostly) 5 year olds, were signed up, in 1999.

This is forever ago, but this is why the majority (79.4 %) of 5 year olds were NORMAL weight.  These kids were kids at the cusp of the obesity epidemic in China.

For the record : 13.6 % of the little ones were overweight and 7 % were underweight.

Insulin levels in kids

Now all the kids, a total of 424 (211 boys and 213 girls) were “studied” as 5 year olds and then 5 years later, as 10 year olds.  The parameters that were “studied” included the obvious things weight and height, along with fasting insulin and glucose.  This data was then used to calculate the level of insulin resistance.

To complement the biological measurements, parents were asked to report on TV watching habits, as a proxy for physical activity.

So what did they find ?

Bigger insulin bigger kids

The actually weight of each child, at the age of 10 was very much related to fasting insulin levels at the age of 5.  Kids who were producing lots of insulin at 5, as reflected by the fasting insulin level, had put on more kilos.

The pattern held for girls and boys.

img-3

The change of weight during a 5-year follow-up related to the plasma fasting insulin and weight at baseline. Copyright Chen et al

And TV watching had little to do with weight gain in the 5 year time frame.

Nor did starting weight.  Neither birth weight or weight at the age of 5, were terribly predictive of weight status at the age of 10.

Insulin IS the culprit

It makes sense, insulin’s job is to put away the groceries after you eat, the more insulin you have, the more efficiently the storage process will proceed.

This study made no attempt to establish WHY the insulin response varied between kids.

Genetics is probably a BIG part of the story, but unlikely to be the whole story.

The insulin response

We are all different, our insulin response is just another part of our uniqueness.

Being an insulin “hyper” responder, would have been a superpower in the past.   You would have been able to grow BIGGER and STRONGER, in lean times.  And being BIGGER and STONGER than your less “gifted” neighbours, would have given you an advantage.

But…………. it has the potential to become problematic in the “wrong” environment.

What is the “wrong” environment ?

An environment that promotes lots of  insulin secretion.……. because you’re GIFTED,  you’ll produce more and so you will  STORE MORE.

So what promotes lots of insulin secretion ?

EATING.

Ouch !

You can’t STOP eating permanently, but you can eat in such a way to minimize that insulin response.

Insulinogenic foods

Some foods are more insulinogenic  i.e. cause bigger insulin release, than others.

As a rule, carbs get insulin REALLY excited,  particularly fast carbs i.e. carbs that are arriving in your blood very quickly.   The types of food that do this are often processed / refined foods e.g. cakes, cookies, soda  but some REAL foods do this too e.g.  milk and potato.

If you’re insulin gifted……………….these are the foods you should cut back on.

For more tips & strategies that will help you manage your “gift” i.e. rein in insulin, download the free willpower report, it will introduce you to the CANDY FLOSS system.


Fasting Plasma Insulin at 5 Years of Age Predicted Subsequent Weight Increase in Early Childhood over a 5-Year Period—The Da Qing Children Cohort Study. PLoS ONE 10(6):e0127389. Yan Yan Chen, Jin Ping Wang, Ya Yun Jiang, Hui Li, Ying Hua Hu, Kok Onn Lee, Guang Wei Li.

Further reading

insulin riding a rhino beetleThe recipe for a chick magnet is insulin dependent

If you’re a red blooded male, I am sure you want to know how you can grow your own personal chick magnet… insulin determines how good you look.

speeding towards the liverWhy a low-fat twinkie is not a diet food

Low-fat food items, contain the same amount of sugar as their full fat counterparts, sometimes a little more and it’s the sugar which is the problem

sugar spikes are personalGetting personal about sugar spikes

The sugar spike caused by the food you eat, has very little to do with the food per se, it’s got more to do with you and who you’re living

 

Want do discover more ways to create BETTER BODY CHEMISTRY ?

Posted in Obesity | Tagged childhood obesity, genes, hyperinsulinemia, insulin, insulin secretion, insulinogenic, obesity, weight gain

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It’s not Tai Chi... 🥋
It’s the TyG Index that brings balance to your metabolism.

🐾 If you’re wondering whether insulin resistance might be behind your sugar crashes, stubborn weight, or low energy—there’s a number that can help.

🧪 It’s based on ordinary blood work.
📊 It’s called the TyG Index.
💻 And you can calculate it yourself using my Metabolic Check tool—available now for FREE in the Next Level Life Bundle.

But hurry...
⏳ The bundle closes tomorrow at midnight (March 27)!
🔗 Link in bio

#TyGIndex #MetabolicCheck #InsulinResistance #NextLevelLifeBundle #BloodSugarBalance #FreeHealthTool #MetabolicHealth #KnowYourNumbers #BetterBodyChemistry #ScienceBasedHealth #EnergyFix #HealthTools #BundleCountdown
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It’s not Tai Chi... 🥋 It’s the TyG Index that brings balance to your metabolism. 🐾 If you’re wondering whether insulin resistance might be behind your sugar crashes, stubborn weight, or low energy—there’s a number that can help. 🧪 It’s based on ordinary blood work. 📊 It’s called the TyG Index. 💻 And you can calculate it yourself using my Metabolic Check tool—available now for FREE in the Next Level Life Bundle. But hurry... ⏳ The bundle closes tomorrow at midnight (March 27)! 🔗 Link in bio #TyGIndex #MetabolicCheck #InsulinResistance #NextLevelLifeBundle #BloodSugarBalance #FreeHealthTool #MetabolicHealth #KnowYourNumbers #BetterBodyChemistry #ScienceBasedHealth #EnergyFix #HealthTools #BundleCountdown
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There’s a surprising number hiding in your standard blood work…

It’s called the TyG Index, and it could be your first clue that insulin resistance is quietly messing with your energy, weight, or sugar levels.

🎯 Want to know your number?

Metabolic Check is my contribution to the [Next Level Life Bundle]—and right now, you can grab it for FREE (along with 100+ other personal growth resources).

But don’t wait—
🕛 Bundle closes Thursday at midnight (March 27).
🔗 Link in bio!
betterbodychemistry
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•
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🩸 Did your metabolism ace the test? There’s a surprising number hiding in your standard blood work… It’s called the TyG Index, and it could be your first clue that insulin resistance is quietly messing with your energy, weight, or sugar levels. 🎯 Want to know your number? Metabolic Check is my contribution to the [Next Level Life Bundle]—and right now, you can grab it for FREE (along with 100+ other personal growth resources). But don’t wait— 🕛 Bundle closes Thursday at midnight (March 27). 🔗 Link in bio!
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🚨 It’s LIVE!
The Next Level Life Bundle just dropped—and it’s bursting with 100+ free resources to help you feel better, think clearer, and actually make progress on the things that matter.

🧠 My contribution?
Metabolic Check
A quick, science-backed tool to help you figure out if insulin resistance might be messing with your energy, weight, or sugar levels.
No fluff. No guessing. Just numbers you can use.

✨ And that’s just ONE of the incredible resources inside.
The bundle is only available until March 27—and yes, it’s completely free.

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🚨 It’s LIVE! The Next Level Life Bundle just dropped—and it’s bursting with 100+ free resources to help you feel better, think clearer, and actually make progress on the things that matter. 🧠 My contribution? Metabolic Check A quick, science-backed tool to help you figure out if insulin resistance might be messing with your energy, weight, or sugar levels. No fluff. No guessing. Just numbers you can use. ✨ And that’s just ONE of the incredible resources inside. The bundle is only available until March 27—and yes, it’s completely free. 📥 Grab your copy now — link in bio. #NextLevelLifeBundle #MetabolicCheck #InsulinResistance #BloodSugarBalance #FreebieAlert #BetterBodyChemistry #FreeResources #HealthGoals #ScienceBased #BundleLaunch #WomenInScience #MindBodyHealth #EnergySupport #Type2Diabetes #MetabolicHealth
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🧪 Insulin resistance is behind rising rates of heart disease, diabetes, and stubborn weight gain… but most people have no idea they have it.

Why? Because no one’s measuring it.
But it can be measured—if you know how.

📊 That’s exactly what you’ll learn in Metabolic Check, my contribution to the Next Level Life Bundle.
It helps you uncover hidden risks using the blood work you already have.

💥 The bundle goes live soon—with tons of resources to help you smash your goals and take control of your health.

🎁 And yes, it's completely FREE (for a few days only).

🔗 Get on the waitlist—link in bio!

#NextLevelLifeBundle #MetabolicCheck #InsulinResistance #KnowYourNumbers #BetterBodyChemistry #HeartHealth #MetabolicHealth #HealthTools #ScienceBased #BloodSugarBalance #FreeBundle #YouCanMeasureIt
betterbodychemistry
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🧪 Insulin resistance is behind rising rates of heart disease, diabetes, and stubborn weight gain… but most people have no idea they have it. Why? Because no one’s measuring it. But it can be measured—if you know how. 📊 That’s exactly what you’ll learn in Metabolic Check, my contribution to the Next Level Life Bundle. It helps you uncover hidden risks using the blood work you already have. 💥 The bundle goes live soon—with tons of resources to help you smash your goals and take control of your health. 🎁 And yes, it's completely FREE (for a few days only). 🔗 Get on the waitlist—link in bio! #NextLevelLifeBundle #MetabolicCheck #InsulinResistance #KnowYourNumbers #BetterBodyChemistry #HeartHealth #MetabolicHealth #HealthTools #ScienceBased #BloodSugarBalance #FreeBundle #YouCanMeasureIt
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