Metabolic roots reveal why people with diabetes are at such high risk for heart disease. (Shutterstock)
High cholesterol has been a focus of treatment for cardiovascular disease for decades. However, many doctors are now challenging this notion. Many studies now suggest that focusing on cholesterol may lead health practitioners to overlook a key culprit: insulin resistance.
Dr. Robert DuBroff, a cardiologist and professor at the University of New Mexico, had a patient who experienced multiple cardiovascular episodes. The patient underwent triple coronary artery bypass grafting and was actively treated with statins, but his cardiovascular disease persisted.
Dr. Dubroff noticed that his patient’s blood sugar was borderline prediabetic and that he was overweight. However, previous doctors did not take these risk factors seriously. Once these factors are controlled, patients have no further problems.
Insulin resistance is the main cause of type 2 diabetes and an indicator of metabolic health. One study found that more than 80% of Americans are metabolically unhealthy, and nearly half are prediabetic.
People with type 2 diabetes face at least twice the risk of cardiovascular disease, and most die from cardiovascular disease. However, this is often overlooked in the literature, Ian Givens, a professor of research nutrition at the University of Reading, told The Epoch Times.
“The death certificate says the cause of death was cardiovascular disease, not diabetes, which is technically correct because that’s exactly what they ultimately died of,” Givens said. However, this view misses key information: it was diabetes that caused the person to die from heart disease.
What is insulin resistance?
Insulin is a hormone released into the blood when blood sugar rises after a meal or other sugar intake. It prompts fat cells, liver and muscle cells to absorb blood sugar for energy metabolism or energy storage, thereby returning blood sugar levels to normal. .
Insulin resistance occurs when cells no longer respond to insulin and absorb blood sugar. In this case, the brain sends a signal to the pancreatic beta cells, which secrete more insulin to help the tin stick absorb the powdered sugar. Over time, the body’s insulin resistance increases. Eventually, the overworked beta cells deteriorate and die, and blood sugar spirals out of control.
Insulin resistance increases heart disease risk
In an article published in The Pharmaceutical Journal, the official journal of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, renowned Dr. Aseem Malhotra and Dr. Robert Lustig writes that insulin resistance is the “primary culprit” of heart disease.
Insulin resistance is a risk factor for all major heart diseases and is closely related to the following three symptoms:
1. Atherosclerosis
Atherosclerosis is due to the accumulation of plaque within blood vessels, ultimately leading to cardiovascular disease such as heart attack.
The increase in insulin associated with insulin resistance leads to chronically elevated insulin levels in the body, promoting chronic inflammation. This damages the lining of blood vessels and promotes atherosclerosis. In addition, inflammation increases platelet activation, making blood more likely to clot.
High insulin can also lead to dyslipidemia, an imbalance of blood lipids or fats. Dyslipidemia manifests itself as high blood triglycerides, too low high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, and too high low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. Insulin affects all three components.
As a storage hormone, insulin tells the liver to package ingested calories into triglycerides (a type of fat) for storage throughout the body, which increases triglyceride levels in the blood.
Insulin inhibits the formation of HDL particles and lowers “good” HDL cholesterol. When insulin levels rise, so does the protein that breaks down HDL particles, which can lead to an increase in the rate at which HDL particles are cleared from the blood.
“The job of HDL particles is to carry lipids from the body back to the liver,” where they will be “recycled,” says Benjamin Bikman. Professor Bick holds a PhD in bioenergetics and is a professor of cell biology and physiology at Brigham Young University, where he specializes in metabolic diseases and the pathological effects of insulin.
“But insulin doesn’t want the lipids to be recycled,” he said.
2. High blood pressure
Insulin increases heart rate and blood pressure, among other mechanisms, by activating the sympathetic nervous system.
The sympathetic nervous system is responsible for activating the body’s stress response (also known as the fight-or-flight response) in response to stress. Stress can be psychological or physical. Insulin can trigger a similar response. During the fight-or-flight response, adrenaline and cortisol are released into the blood, blood pressure increases and the heart beats faster.
In addition to acting as a storage hormone, insulin promotes growth, which causes the lining of blood vessels to thicken, thereby increasing blood pressure.
3. Obesity
According to Dr. Jason Fung, a nephrologist and metabolism expert, elevated insulin levels cause powdered sugar in food to be stored as fat by the body instead of being burned into energy. This is why meals high in carbohydrates trigger an increase in insulin, which often induces hunger more quickly.
3 tips to prevent insulin resistance
1. Reduce your consumption of refined and starchy carbohydrates
Insulin is particularly sensitive to glucose, so cutting back on sugary and starchy foods can prevent spikes in blood sugar and insulin levels. Beekman says anything sweet, crunchy or packaged is usually high in carbohydrates.
Complex carbohydrates such as vegetables, legumes, and low-glucose fruits are primarily composed of dietary fiber and so have less of an impact on raising blood sugar levels and insulin resistance.
Eating fats and simple carbohydrates together is worse than eating only carbohydrates or only fats. Beekman points out that although fat is high in energy, fat itself does not trigger the production of insulin. However, in the presence of sugar or starch, insulin levels rise and last longer. Research shows that combining sugar and fat Food can increase food cravings and stimulate overeating.
2. Fast and chew thoroughly
No food is consumed during fasting, which means there is no rise in blood sugar or insulin.
According to a 2021 review, fasting promotes the breakdown of fat in fat cells for energy and increases the cells’ sensitivity to insulin.
According to Mr. Beekman, insulin resistance often begins in fat cells. Fat cells can also expand to 20 times their original diameter to hold more energy. But when fat cells reach their maximum size and insulin is still prompting the cells to continue growing, they become insulin resistant.
Breaking down the fat in these fat stores reduces cell size, thereby improving insulin sensitivity.
Chewing food thoroughly can also help. Eating too quickly can cause a rapid spike in blood sugar, triggering a strong insulin response. It’s also associated with a poorer feeling of fullness, making people more likely to snack after meals.
3. Sleep and build muscle
Adequate sleep protects against stress and inflammation, which prevents elevated blood sugar levels and insulin resistance.
Glucose in the human body is primarily used by muscles, which burn up to 80% of ingested glucose every day. If a person maintains sugar intake while losing muscle mass, the excess sugar cannot be completely burned and will be stored as fat.
David Stensel, an expert on exercise metabolism at Loughborough University, believes resistance training is the most effective exercise for increasing muscle mass. He also recommends combining aerobic exercise with resistance exercises like push-ups, dumbbells, barbells, etc. Aerobic exercise is continuous and allows people to exercise for longer periods of time.
Aerobic and resistance training stimulate the release of growth hormone, which promotes muscle development and increases metabolic rate.
For the English report, please see the English version of The Epoch Times.Doctors Reveal a ‘Main Culprit’ for Heart Disease」◇
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Editor in charge: Li Fan
2023-09-25 16:36:02
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