My insulin Log

The October, 2008 issue of the journal Diabetes published the outcome of a study of middle-aged men and women which found that lower serum vitamin D levels were associated with an increase in the risk of developing insulin resistance and elevated blood sugar over a ten year follow up period.

Researchers at the Institute of Metabolic Science in Cambridge, England followed 524 nondiabetic participants in the Ely Study, a prospective study established in 1990. Upon enrollment, the vitamin D marker serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D, serum parathyroid hormone, insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) and other factors were measured, and personal health habits such as smoking status and physical activity levels were ascertained. Weight, height, waist circumference, blood pressure, plasma glucose, lipids, and fasting insulin were measured during the initial and ten year follow-up visits.

At the end of the follow-up period, having a higher serum vitamin D level was associated with a lower adjusted ten-year risk of elevated blood sugar, insulin resistance, and high metabolic syndrome score. An association between increased IGF-1 levels and metabolic syndrome risk observed in an earlier study was not noted in the current research.

The authors remark that the study’s findings add evidence to previously reported observations concerning vitamin D’s effect on metabolic syndrome risk. Possible mechanisms of vitamin D include direct effects on pancreatic beta cell secretory function, and indirect effects involving inflammatory processes. Additionally, insufficient vitamin D can elevate serum parathyroid hormone, which is associated with a reduction in insulin sensitivity in healthy individuals.

In an accompanying editorial, Robert Scragg of the University of Auckland in New Zealand asks the question, “Are we ready for a prevention trial?” In light of the dramatically rising diabetes rates worldwide and the mounting evidence for a role of vitamin D in the prevention of the disease, well-designed clinical trials involving vitamin D supplementation are needed to confirm vitamin D’s possible protective benefits. Dr Scragg notes that the dose of vitamin D administered in these trials needs to be at least 2,000 international units per day in order to raise serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels above 80 nanomoles per liter, a level at which diabetes risk is lowest. “If well-designed trials are carried out and confirm a protective effect from vitamin D, it could be used by the general population as a simple and cheap solution to help prevent the diabetes epidemic,” he concludes.

Women who are in their menopausal stage are experiencing considerable changes in their bodies. On weight alone, almost all menopausal women will gain an average of ten to fifteen pounds within the entire duration of the menopausal stage. Well, gaining weight is just another one of the several symptoms brought about by the hormonal imbalance which is a characteristic of menopause as a whole.

As medical experts and scientists discover more about the complexity of menopause, a strong relationship between changes in hormonal structures and body fat begin to emerge. When hormonal structures in your body start to alter, two major consequences follow; namely, resistance to insulin and stress. These two factors weigh much in your body’s metabolic capacity and the accumulation of fat.

Resistance To Insulin

Insulin, basically, is a hormone that is responsible for regulating your body’s ability to breakdown glucose and its overall metabolism. But during the menopausal years, your body may prevent insulin from doing its job. When this happens, you become insulin resistant and all the calories that you have in your body are transformed into fat. It’s like your body has provided an express lane for food to instantly become fat without even bothering about giving nutrients to your cells. Overall result: you get a ballooning weight while your cells hunger for nutrients.

Insulin resistance is even worse for women who believe in low-fat, high-carbohydrate diets. All the while, adherents to this kind of diet plan think that avoiding fatty food will spare them from becoming fat. But due to the body’s resistance to insulin, every tidbit of carbohydrate is directly turned into fat, so dieting is totally useless.

Experts also believe that most women’s dependence on low-fat, high carbohydrate diet for years, with the accompaniment of countless amounts of refined and processed foods like pasta and breads, contribute to insulin resistance. In short, this kind of diet pattern also leads to the blocking of insulin. And the symptoms do not occur until after several years, rather it coincides with the menopausal stage which begins around the age of 40. And so, when you are in this age bracket, you have a bigger chance of being big, literally!

Increased Level Of Stress

Stress can be the root cause for a lot of disorders and conditions. As for your weight, an increased level of stress prompts your body to think that you are experiencing what experts refer to as the famine effect. This phenomenon is your body’s misinterpretation of stress and it shifts your body into a hoarding mechanism; meaning, your metabolism is slowed down drastically because your body is anticipating a prolonged shortage in food. When this happens, all the calories that you take in are directly stored as fat which causes you to gain more weight.

Unfortunately, menopause and stress are like peas and carrots. Most women in their menopausal years experience an increased level of stress. Simply put, menopause puts you in a higher risk of gaining unwanted pounds.

The Solution

As always, eating a balanced diet during your menopausal stage is still the best solution to avoid unhealthy weight gain. You must strike off refined and processed foods from your grocery list. Instead, get your fill of fresh fruits and nutritious vegetables.

At the first sign of weight gain, never go on a crash diet as this will only aggravate your body’s stress levels and therefore put you in a hoarding mode; besides, crash dieting can also bring you osteoporosis. Instead, you can choose regular exercise to keep your body in shape.

To avoid unwanted pounds and keep your body healthy during your menopausal years, you can also use products like Zalestra that allow you to burn more calories and increase your metabolic rate. For more information about this product, visit www.Zalestra.com.