Browse: Home / pregnancy / Avoid gestational diabetes by throwing a roof raising party

Menu

Skip to content
  • About
  • Better Body Chemistry School
  • Book a health conversation
  • Speaking query
  • The “Big” Spoons
Header image

BBC

Small things can make a big difference to your health

advertisement

Menu

Skip to content
  • Home
  • Free Resources
    • 31 days to Better Body Chemistry
    • Willpower Report
    • Weight loss e-course
    • Better Body Chemistry for Expecting Moms
    • The ups and downs of insulin resistance
    • Candy Floss Boards
    • Weight tracker
    • Sound bites
  • Library
  • Shop
  • Lucky dip
  • Buy me a coffee
  • Video gallery
  • Contact

Avoid gestational diabetes by throwing a roof raising party

Posted by Dr Sandy on in pregnancy | 554 Views | Leave a response
WhatsApp
Reddit
Share
More
Tweet
Pin
Share

Share Button

Click to listen to the audio…

Transcript of “How to make more insulin, so you avoid gestational diabetes”

beta cells churning out insulinOne of the things you need to worry about as a pregnant women, is developing gestational diabetes.

It’s risky for you and risky for junior.

Unfortunately, it’s an all too common problem, because….

Being insulin resistant is part and parcel of pregnancy.

Blame it on baby

You can appreciate, growing into a brand new human being, is an energy intensive process. Dips in energy, can be catastrophic……so mother nature, stacks the deck in baby’s favour.

Baby gets fed first.

To achieve this, mother nature makes Mom’s power hungry cells, a little less sensitive to insulin.

This insulin resistance is 100 % normal.

By making it that much harder, to get the glucose gates open, the sugar molecules are shuttled across the placenta, where baby can use them to grow big and strong.

But, it is a balancing act………..

Mom must be fed too

Mom’s cells do need to eat too.

So, plan B kicks in.

The pancreas ramps up it’s game – the beta cells, whose job it is, to produce insulin – produce more insulin, to compensate for the insulin resistance.

The production of more insulin happens because……..

  • the beta cells that are there, get bigger
  • they produce more insulin
  • and new cells arrive to help out

The pancreas knows to do this, because the placenta, “unintentionally” tells them too.

More than MAKE MILK

The placenta is hard at work, directing the assembly of the milk factory, through lactogen hormones.

Beta cells can intercept this message, because, they come with prolactin receptors.

The make MILK signalling, also signals the pancreas to make more beta cells.

Indirectly….

So how does this happen ?

A team of researchers from Japan, pieced together the beta cell construction process in mice.

Raising the roof….

The prolactin hormone, inspires the trypotophan hydroxylase enzymes, to do a little construction too.

The TPH enzymes, mix tryptophan, iron and tetrahydrobiopterin, in the mixing bowl, to create hydroxylated tryptophan. Once this has been created, other enzymes, finish off the job, creating 5-hyroxylated tryptophan, better known as serotonin.

The serotonin creates a party atmosphere.

And next thing you know, the beta cells are raising the roof……

And the insulin is flowing.

Keeping the insulin flowing

When the team cut off the supply of tryptophan, either by removing it from the animals diet, or by blocking the tryptophan hydroxylase enzymes, with a chemical inhibitor.

The party stopped.

Insulin stopped flowing…………..

And the pregnant “Moms” could no longer handle glucose, efficiently.

They had hyperglycemia, aka…..

Gestational diabetes

It happens because there just isn’t enough insulin to go round……

There are probably a multitude of reasons, why the insulin is in short supply, but this research suggests, pregnant Moms can boost their insulin supply, by throwing a roof raising party.

Buying supplies for the party

To throw the roof raising party, you need lots of serotonin, inside the pancreas.

Now to make serotonin, inside the pancreas, you need the raw ingredients : plenty of tryptophan and a dash of iron and tetrahydrobiopterin.

Your body gets tryptophan from the food you eat, specifically foods that are protein, such as fish, eggs and milk.

So you need to ensure you’re getting adequate levels of protein, to create BETTER BODY CHEMISTRY.

Current recommendations, suggest you should aim to eat a little protein at every meal, somewhere between 20-30 g is ideal.

Share Button

Serotonin Regulates Pancreatic ?-Cell Mass during Pregnancy. Nat Med. (2010) 16(7): 804–808. Hail Kim, Yukiko Toyofuku, Francis C. Lynn, Eric Chak, Toyoyoshi Uchida, Hirok I Mizukami, Yoshio Fujitani, Ryuzo Kawamori, Takeshi Miyatsuka, Yasuhiro Kosaka, Katherine Yang, Gerard Honig, Marieke van der Hart, Nina Kishimoto, Juehu Wang, Soroku Yagihashi, Laurence H. Tecott, Hirotaka Watada, and Michael S. German. 

Further reading

pancreas breaking down because of overworkWhy type 2 diabetes happens

High sugar levels send a requisition to the pancreas for more insulin. Pumping out large quantities of insulin leads to beta cell death causing type 2 diabetes

trust serumUse body chemistry to improve your wheeling and dealing

If you want to close a deal quickly, you can supercharge the negotiation process, by feeding your prospect a meal, laced with trust serum.

a yellow vegetable shield protecting from type 2 diabetesA pre-disposition to become diabetic – does not mean you’ll be one

Genes do not function in a vacuum.  A gene expresses itself, based on the environment it finds itself operating in.  This  gives YOU a little wiggle room…

Better body chemistry for expectant moms

If you are an expectant Mom or know someone that is – invite them to participate, so they can create Better Body Chemistry during their pregnancy and raise a HAPPY HEALTHY little one.

Expecting ?
* indicates required

Close

WhatsApp
Reddit
Share
More
Tweet
Pin
Share
Posted in pregnancy | Tagged beta cells, breast milk, eggs, glucose, insulin gestational diabetes, insulin resistant, meat, milk, pregnant, prolactin, serotonin, sugar levels, tryptophan
 

better body chemistry for expectant moms

Gives you the inside scoop….

Tips and strategies, based on the latest science, to help you give your baby the best start possible. Learn more...

Click to enrol in our free e-course.

Connect with facebook Make sure you give the app permission on the next page

Connect with us

facebook you tube pinterest 40 google plus 40 Linkedin

  • Popular
  • Featured
  • Recent
  • asprosin the sugar plum fairy

    Why sugar levels are high despite NOT eating

    20812 views / Posted
  • poop getting stuck

    The fix for constipation is to go on a low fibre diet

    19982 views / Posted
  • oatmeal breakfast being beaten by egg

    Which is a better breakfast, egg or oatmeal ?

    19225 views / Posted
  • chewing gum relieving postoperative ileus

    A stick of chewing gum gets the gut going after surgery

    16761 views / Posted
  • carbonated water bubbles fill you up

    Fizzing up the water flattens your appetite

    15610 views / Posted
  • sun extracting cholesterol

    Make sure you have your “annual” check-up in the summer time

    / Dr Sandy
  • sending your kid to bootcamp won't stop childhood obesity

    Moving more won’t stop your kid from getting fat

    / Dr Sandy
  • cholesterol at the scene of the accident

    Bone cells are stiffening up your arteries not cholesterol

    / Dr Sandy
  • brain size the problem in ADHD

    Are kids with ADHD just acting according to their brain age

    / Dr Sandy
  • plastering the blood vessel with calcium

    Calcium supplements are building bones and breaking hearts

    / Dr Sandy
  • Starting muscle fires might be the secret to curing insulin resistance

    / Dr Sandy
  • nose feeling blocked

    A simple “cure” for chronic sinusitis

    / Dr Sandy
  • triglyceride sweeping up sugar

    Dietary fat and carbs DO MIX in a “good” way

    / Dr Sandy
  • what would batman eat

    Batman can rescue your child from poor food choices

    / Dr Sandy
  • grape shooting fat at a man eating grapes on the couch

    The inconvenient truth about eating more fruit to be healthy

    / Dr Sandy

RSS Recent posts

Dr Sandy Dr Sandy Evans, PhD

Located in Johannesburg, South Africa

Disclaimer : The stories and articles are provided as a service. Dr Sandy's opinions are for information only, and are not intended to diagnose or prescribe. For your specific diagnosis and treatment, consult your doctor or health care provider.
 

Book an appointment

Calendar icon
 

Connect with Dr Sandy

facebook 40
you tube 40
pinterest 40
linkedin 40
 

Categories

Featured posts

  • asprosin the sugar plum fairy

    Why sugar levels are high despite NOT eating

    20812 views / Posted
  • poop getting stuck

    The fix for constipation is to go on a low fibre diet

    19982 views / Posted
  • oatmeal breakfast being beaten by egg

    Which is a better breakfast, egg or oatmeal ?

    19225 views / Posted
 

©2011-2022 Spoonful of Science

Menu

  • Meet Dr Sandy
  • Disclosure/disclaimer
  • Privacy policy
  • Comment policy
  • Contact
WhatsApp
Reddit
Share
More
Tweet