Insulin Resistance

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Myakka
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Re: Insulin Resistance

Post by Myakka »

I have had very good experience with the Gundry Diet helping with my pre-diabetic symptoms.

According to Dr. Steven Gundry lectins are a problem for many many people and a cause of many of the common diseases we have around us. Lectins are found in the most common sources of carbs in our diet which is why a Warrior Diet will tend to give many of the same benefits as his diet does.

chenda
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Re: Insulin Resistance

Post by chenda »

IlliniDave wrote:
Mon Mar 20, 2023 1:42 pm
I will say from experience that after a week or so to adjust to a low carb regimen it gets increasingly easy for me to pinch my feeding window down to 2 hours or so.
I see. I could probably do a 14-16 hour non eating period every day. Have you used apple cider vinegar Dave ? Apparently it can help counteract insulin spikes after higher GI foods.

IlliniDave
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Re: Insulin Resistance

Post by IlliniDave »

chenda wrote:
Mon Mar 20, 2023 2:14 pm
I see. I could probably do a 14-16 hour non eating period every day. Have you used apple cider vinegar Dave ? Apparently it can help counteract insulin spikes after higher GI foods.
I haven't used it as a supplement but I use it about 6 days/week on salads, raw greens, etc., along with EVOO. As a bit of trivia, ACV contains acetic acid (all vinegars do), which is also a waste byproduct of good gut bacteria absorbed by the body thereby making it a postbiotic "supplement" thought to promote mitocondrial health and reproduction, among other things. I haven't tried it specifically for blood sugar control (and consequently insulin control). But that it might help with that, weight management, cholesterol, etc., is a nice bonus.I also in non-ere fashion get the "with the mothers" unpasteurized/unfiltered variety, which comes at a premium, because the fermentation products are thought to be a valuable prebiotic, as well as the possibility of some probiotic benefit.

classical_Liberal
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Re: Insulin Resistance

Post by classical_Liberal »

chenda wrote:
Mon Mar 20, 2023 2:14 pm
I see. I could probably do a 14-16 hour non eating period every day. Have you used apple cider vinegar Dave ? Apparently it can help counteract insulin spikes after higher GI foods.
Some people just have weird metabolic effects. If your A1c is normal, and your blood glucose returns to normal quickly after a meal, you are not insulin resistant.

I second intermittent fasting. This is literally why I started doing it 10 years before it became popular. I had the same problems of up and down energy levels based on meal times. The insulin spike post meal has a sedative property on everyone, more so with some individuals. I now use this to my advantage and only eat 2-4 hours before I want to sleep. The insulin spike from the meal acts as a sedative and helps my other major health problem. Difficultly falling asleep.

A secondary option would be a keto-esqu diet. Eating low(or no) carb for all meals and snacks except the one closest to sleep time. It would likely have a similar effect on insulin activity.

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Slevin
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Re: Insulin Resistance

Post by Slevin »

classical_Liberal wrote:
Mon Mar 20, 2023 4:49 pm
A secondary option would be a keto-esqu diet. Eating low(or no) carb for all meals and snacks except the one closest to sleep time. It would likely have a similar effect on insulin activity.
And keep in mind that low carb diets are likely to make your insulin response to carbs worse (larger dose release with less carbs) as your body has to adjust to deal with lower overall carb intake. Secondary systemic effects are important in this case, which is why I would hazard to something of a more IF approach with limited complex carbohydrates (just eat whole grains, don't think too hard about it) as opposed to something ketogenic (and this has been my diet change over time) to keep blood sugar stabilized even when you inevitably end up eating way too many cookies or pasta every once in a while. General ketogenic diets can also have weird systemic effects due to low fiber intake (maybe a more well balanced keto diet with high fiber can be designed).

frommi
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Re: Insulin Resistance

Post by frommi »

Slevin wrote:
Mon Mar 20, 2023 5:56 pm
And keep in mind that low carb diets are likely to make your insulin response to carbs worse (larger dose release with less carbs) as your body has to adjust to deal with lower overall carb intake. Secondary systemic effects are important in this case, which is why I would hazard to something of a more IF approach with limited complex carbohydrates (just eat whole grains, don't think too hard about it) as opposed to something ketogenic (and this has been my diet change over time) to keep blood sugar stabilized even when you inevitably end up eating way too many cookies or pasta every once in a while. General ketogenic diets can also have weird systemic effects due to low fiber intake (maybe a more well balanced keto diet with high fiber can be designed).
Your thinking line here is wrong, you dont get higher insulin levels on a keto diet. You get lower levels, much lower levels. Because insulin is only needed to work with glycose and that only comes with carb intake. "Complex" carbs will still trigger an insulin response and therefore stop your body going into ketosis. All there approaches (Fasting,Warrior diet, IF, Keto, Carnivore etc.) work because of ketosis. So snacking 5 times a day on complex carbs will make your problems worse not better. There are a lot of things you can eat to get more fiber into your diet (broccoli,berries,nuts,lentils,etc.) without eating whole grains.

ChatGPT: :)
On a ketogenic diet, insulin levels tend to decrease, as the body is relying on fat rather than carbohydrates for energy. This is because a ketogenic diet is typically low in carbohydrates, which are the primary macronutrient that stimulates insulin secretion.

IlliniDave
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Re: Insulin Resistance

Post by IlliniDave »

frommi wrote:
Tue Mar 21, 2023 1:53 am
Your thinking line here is wrong, you dont get higher insulin levels on a keto diet. You get lower levels, much lower levels. Because insulin is only needed to work with glycose and that only comes with carb intake. "Complex" carbs will still trigger an insulin response and therefore stop your body going into ketosis. All there approaches (Fasting,Warrior diet, IF, Keto, Carnivore etc.) work because of ketosis. So snacking 5 times a day on complex carbs will make your problems worse not better. There are a lot of things you can eat to get more fiber into your diet (broccoli,berries,nuts,lentils,etc.) without eating whole grains.

ChatGPT: :)
On a ketogenic diet, insulin levels tend to decrease, as the body is relying on fat rather than carbohydrates for energy. This is because a ketogenic diet is typically low in carbohydrates, which are the primary macronutrient that stimulates insulin secretion.
We're sort of thinking about the mechanisms backwards. Any nutrition regimen that is low in carbohydrate and somewhat moderate in protein will mean lower post-eating blood glucose which will lower the pancreas's reaction of dumping insulin in the blood (it's really more of a requirement than just a reaction/potential overreaction). Insulin resistance really happens at the downstream cellular level. When the downstream cells become insulin resistant from overexposure to insulin, and curb their uptake of glucose from the blood, the pancreas sees persistence of glucose in the blood and correctly continues producing insulin to clear it. Elevated blood glucose is a more urgent problem for the body than over-elevated insulin. My understanding is that it takes considerable time for the cells that would receive glucose to repair themselves (or be replaced by new, properly insulin-sensitive cells) and respond to insulin by "correctly" absorbing glucose. Months to years depending on how entrenched the IR is. And beyond a certain point, it may not be completely reversible. My understanding is pancreatic dysfunction doesn't show up until type-II diabetes is very advanced, if at all.

I think you are correct that going on a low carb regimen will not increase insulin resistance as the cause of insulin resistance is chronic exposure to insulin, which a low carb regimen (especially when combined with IF) alleviates. One thing people tend to overlook is about 70% of animal protein (little less for eggs) and 80% of plant protein ingested is converted to glucose and will result in elevated post-meal insulin, albeit not as spiky as a piece of pie after a feast of pasta and bread. So strict keto plus IF is probably the best knob for regulating insulin, and is arguably a good starting point for someone (like me) in need of a therapeutic overhaul. But perpetual keto nutrition is as unnatural as perpetual carbohydrate grazing and over extended time (on the order of 2 years iirc) seems to put stress on the body and create adverse inflammatory conditions.

I think a lot depends on where a person is on the metabolic health continuum when looking at addressing insulin resistance. A 25-year-old in good overall health (by conventional markers) has a lot more leeway in designing a nutrition regimen to avoid appearance or worsening of insulin resistance than someone like me who is in his later 50s and already showing progression of insulin resistance in about every commonly available marker that can reflect it.

There's also a concept called "metabolic flexibility" which is essentially how readily your body can switch between glucogenic metabolism and ketogenic metabolism. Extended periods of being slammed in glucose mode will cause the body to sort of forget about the ketogenic option and it can take as much as a couple weeks of severely restricted carbs to reactivate that pathway (hence the so-called keto flu people can experience at the onset of a keto regimen). Someone mentioned Gundry above, and I'm following a protocol similar to his plant paradox regimen as modified in his latest "Keto Code" book which focuses on cellular/mitochondrial rejuvenation--processes triggered by the presence of ketones in the blood. Someone with good metabolic flexibility can probably get by with just intermittent fasting and a little thoughtfulness when it comes to carb consumption (even the starchier carbs), i.e., avoid plants that have compounds (certain lectins are his bugaboo) that can cause under-the-hood (or more overt) problems in the gut. Someone in my shoes probably has to adopt a stricter approach for a longer period of time to restore metabolic flexibility before I can re-introduce a wider variety of carbohydrate sources.

I'm kind of veering off track here. I guess my point is the system is really complex and there are a number of contributors that for someone with fairly advanced IR have to get restored in order to have good metabolic health which by definition includes restoration of adequate insulin sensitivity. It starts with eating in a way to simultaneously restore the gut (both the plumbing itself and the microbiome that resides there) and support metabolic flexibility, which in turn supports downstream cellular health and improved liver function which further improve metabolic function. Along the way other cool things happen (typically fat loss--especially visceral and liver fat--along with lowered blood pressure, improved blood lipids, reversal of pre-diabetes and even full type-II diabetes, reversal of many autoimmune and inflammation-driven issues, etc.). And from there it begins to dovetail with all the longevity enhancement research and potential biohacks. Single knobs aren't the answer, which is why modern allopathic medicine has failed so spectacularly dealing with the modern family of chronic diseases. That said, regulation of insulin via diet is a very powerful knob and a good place to start IMO. Increasing activity/exercise, improved sleep, and reduced stress are secondary co-factors that help goose proper functioning of metabolic pathways.

Sorry for going a bit overboard. It's not all directed at you, frommi, just a topic that is high in my queue at present and something I am starting to have strong convictions about.

frommi
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Re: Insulin Resistance

Post by frommi »

I dont think we really disagree @IlliniDave in fact i think you wrote the same thing as i, just with a lot more words :D

But one thing that you mentioned was new to me and i wonder where that is coming from. Its that animal protein still causes an insulin response after a meal and that perpetual keto nutrition is unnatural. Do you have sources for that? Because chatgpt and my common sense tell me something else here.

EDIT: ok found a source for the first part, thanks for triggering further research. :)
https://optimisingnutrition.com/does-pr ... insulin-2/

Dont know if that is a good source, but at least it makes some sense now. But the conclusion of the article was still the same. Eat less carbs and more protein.

Summary:
Basal insulin is the insulin your body produces throughout the day to keep your blood glucose stable. Bolus insulin refers to the insulin your body produces at mealtimes.
Carbs elicit a short-term insulin response, protein a medium-term response, and fat a long-term response.
Protein tends to keep your blood sugars stable. However, if you have insulin resistance or some form of metabolic dysfunction, your blood sugar may rise after consuming protein.
Because protein is the most satiating macronutrient, focusing on protein at each meal will allow you to eat fewer calories and remain satiated so you can lose weight and decrease your total insulin production.

IlliniDave
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Re: Insulin Resistance

Post by IlliniDave »

frommi wrote:
Tue Mar 21, 2023 9:50 am
I dont think we really disagree @IlliniDave in fact i think you wrote the same thing as i, just with a lot more words :D

But one thing that you mentioned was new to me and i wonder where that is coming from. Its that animal protein still causes an insulin response after a meal and that perpetual keto nutrition is unnatural. Do you have sources for that? Because chatgpt and my common sense tell me something else here.
Well, imagine yourself as a pre-agricultural hunter-gatherer (what we were for the vast majority of our evolutionary history) and it's mid-late summer and all the fruits and berries are coming ripe, tubers are maturing, etc. You don't have canning, freezers, supermarkets that import from the opposite hemisphere, or GMO produce that is shelf stable for extended periods. Essentially, you are going to gorge on all of that readily available starchy and sweet food while it is available. Your body will correctly store a big fraction of it as fat. Then autumn and winter comes (or dry seasons, whatever) you'll be reliant on the carnivore side of your nature for the next 8-9 months until things come ripe again, and rely on your fat stores to get you through the leanest of times. Not terribly different from say bears or other animals that hibernate over the winter. So starving yourself of carbohydrates 12 months a year for years on end is not the rhythm nature tuned our physiology to optimally leverage. Exception maybe if you are the descended from Inuit peoples. I'd refer you to Gundry's The Keto Code book and its bibliography/references list for the refrence(s) on issues that crop up when people maintain strict keto for periods of time on the order of 2 years or so and longer.

One struggle we moderns have have is because of the scarcity throughout most years in our evolutionary past, we're sort of wired to gorge on carbohydrates when we can. Nowadays we can do that for 365 days per year, something our bodies are not designed to handle as evidenced by the surging epidemic of metabolic-linked maladies.

An argument that could be made is that the most natural eating pattern would be ketogenic for most of the year with a 3-4 month window of high carbohydrate availability and consumption. I intend to mirror that by strategically adding back "in-season" higher carb/GI foods in the fall and revert back to ~keto over the winter until the following late summer. The hard thing for me is resisting gluttony and the lure of excessive sugar and highly processed foods.

Regarding the protein-glucose-insulin connection, I've seen that in several places going back as far as the 1980s so I think it's pretty established. The numbers I quoted I got from a Sten Eckberg video (same guy whose video I linked earlier) but I don't have independent proof.

I can't say for sure if this is the one, but a quick google yielded this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNpwxgfihiA&t=30s

I do agree that protein does lend itself to more stable blood sugar levels, and thereby insulin levels, at least so long as IR is not too advanced, and will be "better" than cookies and baked potatoes in that regard no matter how you slice it.

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Slevin
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Re: Insulin Resistance

Post by Slevin »

Ah yeah, my bad here. Misremembered sources. Agreed keto improves insulin sensitivity over time better than low carb diets after going back and checking sources. However from going back and checking the sources I did find this study, which is showing that polyunsaturated fat Keto did better at controlling blood glucose (lower blood glucose), higher insulin sensitivity, lower triglycerides, and lower cholesterol (which is a nice improvement since keto diets tend to raise cholesterol). So may be worth a consideration for you guys looking into the Keto solutions.

frommi
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Re: Insulin Resistance

Post by frommi »

@IlliniDave Ok, i see were you are coming from. I am myself on a 5-6 day/week low keto diet and have 1-2 cheat days in between to reset my metabolism and give in to my sugar cravings. That has worked very well for me.
Studies in mice have shown that there is an up to 30% lifespan increase by doing the warrior diet, but i am not sure if that is really reproduceable in humans. Maybe jacob has more infos here?

classical_Liberal
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Re: Insulin Resistance

Post by classical_Liberal »

IlliniDave wrote:
Tue Mar 21, 2023 6:54 am
One thing people tend to overlook is about 70% of animal protein (little less for eggs) and 80% of plant protein ingested is converted to glucose and will result in elevated post-meal insulin, albeit not as spiky as a piece of pie after a feast of pasta and bread.
Though a technically true statement gluconeogensis is an entirely different pathway for carb creation requiring extra energy. Hence the body rarely overproduces carbs from this pathway, hence significantly limiting any need for an insulin response. It's like idling your car to keep it warm vs slamming the accelerator to go from 0-100.

Point being, the metabolic pathways matter when dealing with metabolic functions like insulin and possible resistance from over use.

IlliniDave
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Re: Insulin Resistance

Post by IlliniDave »

classical_Liberal wrote:
Tue Mar 21, 2023 4:32 pm
Though a technically true statement gluconeogensis is an entirely different pathway for carb creation requiring extra energy. Hence the body rarely overproduces carbs from this pathway, hence significantly limiting any need for an insulin response. It's like idling your car to keep it warm vs slamming the accelerator to go from 0-100.

Point being, the metabolic pathways matter when dealing with metabolic functions like insulin and possible resistance from over use.
Sure, but once the glucose is in the blood, the pancreas has no other options than to respond with insulin. I've tried to be careful about carrying along the context of insulin resistance, but probably haven't done well. For an insulin sensitive person it's no big deal metabolically speaking to handle blood glucose derived from ingested protein, but for someone who is insulin resistant even small elevations in blood glucose has disproportionate consequences in the form of large insulin release. I know I can knock myself completely out of ketosis by eating much above 60g or so of protein (a steak a little over 8 oz) in a single meal. I don't think that was the case 15 years ago when I was metabolically healthier, but I didn't have any way to measure back then.

To be clear, I'm not claiming that a perfectly healthy person who goes on a carnivore diet or something is going to become insulin resistant. I suppose it's possible but I'd gauge the odds as very low. What I am implying that for someone who already is significantly insulin resistant, consuming a lot of protein can interfere with goals of entering/maintaining ketosis, and that consumption of large amounts of protein will exacerbate already existing IR. I've seen the former in myself. From what I've seen it's generally recommended for men who are trying to combat metabolic disease via therapeutic nutritional ketosis that protein consumption in a meal should be kept below about 40g, somewhat less for women.

I'm not sure what you mean about producing excess carbs. I didn't realize there was any decisions the body makes when digesting protein. My understanding was about 30-35% of animal protein is suitable for use in tissue construction (i.e., composed of the right form of amino acid building blocks), for which it's used, and the rest of the amino acids unsuitable for use in a human protein were simply broken down into glucose in the liver because the liver has to do something with those things once they're floating around in the blood.

I always thought gluconeogenisis referred to the process of the body converting stored fatty acids into glucose (i.e., the reason humans can live a long time in relatively decent health with extremely limited or no food presuming they have a good supply of body fat) rather than converting new incoming protein to glucose. Haven't read the wiki yet, but I learn something new about this stuff every day.

chenda
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Re: Insulin Resistance

Post by chenda »

This is very interesting stuff. The idea of switching between diets based on seasonal variations is intriguing, especially as (for me at least) going full on paleo/low carb can be difficult long term. But it's a good way to loose weight for a shorter period if needed.

Re fasting it would be interesting to look at studies of those who practice Ramadan to see what benefits/problems may arise.
IlliniDave wrote:
Mon Mar 20, 2023 1:42 pm
I'm not sure about teenagers, but acne/rosacea in adults, especially women, is supposed to be a pretty reliable indicator of insulin resistance.
I have adult acne, although I can keep my skin clear using a topical acid serum. Excess sebum production results in acne, although the advantage of oily skin is you age much less visibly as the oil hydrates the skin better than any moisturiser (which seems like justified compensation for my horrendous teenage skin :lol: ) Interestingly, weight gain is often associated with acne breakouts, which makes sense especially if it's driven by high carb consumption..

IlliniDave
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Re: Insulin Resistance

Post by IlliniDave »

frommi wrote:
Tue Mar 21, 2023 3:01 pm
@IlliniDave Ok, i see were you are coming from. I am myself on a 5-6 day/week low keto diet and have 1-2 cheat days in between to reset my metabolism and give in to my sugar cravings. That has worked very well for me.
Studies in mice have shown that there is an up to 30% lifespan increase by doing the warrior diet, but i am not sure if that is really reproduceable in humans. Maybe jacob has more infos here?
5 days on, 2 off, sounds like a good rotation for you. Even when young and healthy there's no one-size-fits-all optimum for everyone--we're all different to start with, and things change as we age. I think something like that might have worked for me 15 years ago, but I know it wouldn't now.

Obviously not jacob, but things that work in mice often enough work in humans too, which is why researchers examine them. I think it's pretty hard to get human trials for longevity studies/data. The studies would last many decades and I don't think anyone I know could stay on a regimen that long unless they were imprisoned. I think some inferences/theories from epidemiological data can be tested in mice in an effort to gauge some degree of their plausibility, but just because something happens in mice doesn't mean it'll happen the same in people. But if the warrior diet lines up pretty well with nutrition conventions in one of the blue zones, then there's at least a plausible link with animal trials and the epidemiological data. I say that not being familiar with the diet itself or the study you referred to, but that's the kind of things I've seen done in studies that try to look at longevitity implications/hacks.

IlliniDave
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Re: Insulin Resistance

Post by IlliniDave »

Slevin wrote:
Tue Mar 21, 2023 11:21 am
Ah yeah, my bad here. Misremembered sources. Agreed keto improves insulin sensitivity over time better than low carb diets after going back and checking sources. However from going back and checking the sources I did find this study, which is showing that polyunsaturated fat Keto did better at controlling blood glucose (lower blood glucose), higher insulin sensitivity, lower triglycerides, and lower cholesterol (which is a nice improvement since keto diets tend to raise cholesterol). So may be worth a consideration for you guys looking into the Keto solutions.
I'm not really familiar with the warrior diet. For many years I've been keyed in on certain polyunsaturated fats, but I avoid others as much as possible (soybean, cottonseed, sunflower--the highly processed seed oils).

I'm a bit of a rebel when it comes to cholesterol. All I care about is my triglyceride/HDL ratio. If they say I am metabolically healthy, then I intend to let my body decide how much LDL I need. It's too important to too many processes including the immune system to tamp down artificially for the sport of it. Caveat is mine has never been > 150 or so at the very worst, so I know I don't have any of the genetic predispositions that cause extremely high levels of the very small LDL particles that cause problems.

IlliniDave
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Re: Insulin Resistance

Post by IlliniDave »

chenda wrote:
Tue Mar 21, 2023 5:57 pm

I have adult acne, although I can keep my skin clear using a topical acid serum. Excess sebum production results in acne, although the advantage of oily skin is you age much less visibly as the oil hydrates the skin better than any moisturiser (which seems like justified compensation for my horrendous teenage skin :lol: ) Interestingly, weight gain is often associated with acne breakouts, which makes sense especially if it's driven by high carb consumption..
I don't think insulin resistance is the sole cause of male adult acne, but it's very common. My understanding is the link is closer in women. One anecdote I heard was a guy who for other reasons cut out dairy (already essentially a vegan) and found the acne that plagued him his whole life went away in a matter of days. Seems like food allergies/sensitivities can play a role too.

chenda
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Re: Insulin Resistance

Post by chenda »

IlliniDave wrote:
Tue Mar 21, 2023 6:42 pm
I don't think insulin resistance is the sole cause of male adult acne, but it's very common. My understanding is the link is closer in women. One anecdote I heard was a guy who for other reasons cut out dairy (already essentially a vegan) and found the acne that plagued him his whole life went away in a matter of days. Seems like food allergies/sensitivities can play a role too.
Yes a lot of foodstuffs have been anecdotally indicted for causing acne, but there is very little quality research into the diet-acne link. Although its interesting that milk chocolate is often blamed in popular culture for causing outbreaks, and there is some evidence that milk can trigger acne. Men are more prone to acne than women due to the higher levels of androgens, which is why the contraceptive pill is sometimes prescribed to women to treat acne.

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Ego
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Re: Insulin Resistance

Post by Ego »

I am not sure why this study makes me happy. There is something about unintended consequences....

Hookworms successfully prevent type 2 diabetes in human trial
https://newatlas.com/medical/hookworm-t ... -diseases/
This latest study follows on from researchers using farmed, lab-grown hookworms to successfully treat chronic conditions such as Irritable Bowel Disease (IBD) and celiac disease – the latter was also conducted by JCU scientists.

In this double-blinded trial, 40 participants aged 27 to 50, with early signs of metabolic diseases, took part. They received either 20 or 40 microscopic larvae of the human hookworm species Necator americanus; another group took a placebo.

“Metabolic diseases are characterized by inflammatory immune responses and an altered gut microbiome,” said Dr Pierce. “Previous studies with animal models have indicated that hookworms induce an anti-inflammatory response in their host to safeguard their own survival.”

As for the results, those with 20 hookworms saw a Homeostatic Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR) level drop from 3.0 units to 1.8 units within the first year, which restored their insulin resistance to a healthy range. The cohort with 40 hookworms still experienced a drop, from 2.4 to 2.0. Those who received the placebo saw their HOMA-IR levels increase from 2.2 to 2.9 during the same time frame.

“These lowered HOMA-IR values indicated that people were experiencing considerable improvements in insulin sensitivity – results that were both clinically and statistically significant,” said Dr Pierce.
Unintended consequences of a different sort, the next study should measure pre & post-covid insulin resistance among those who took ivermectin for covid as it is the go-to treatment for hookworm.

Jim
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Re: Insulin Resistance

Post by Jim »

They're good for type I prevention as well, possibly many other autoimmune diseases.

"Helminth infection has emerged as one possible explanation for the low incidence of autoimmune diseases and allergies in less developed countries, while reduced infection rates have been linked with the significant and sustained increase in autoimmune diseases seen in industrialized countries" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helminthi ... prov=sfla1

New parents are now being told to expose babies to peanuts early on to prevent allergic reactions. Turns out our immune systems will find work for themselves if left unchallenged.

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