Not just hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, diabetes. Among the wide range of threats that put the heart and other organs at risk, there is one that has so far been little considered and which, instead, should be included among the fundamentals: insulin resistance associated with hyperinsulinemia. A perverse combination, to be diagnosed and counteracted early, before damage occurs. Insulin resistance is defined as a reduced capacity of its role in regulating blood sugar, whereby the pancreas, to maintain normal blood sugar, is forced to secrete greater quantities of the hormone insulin. As a result, there is a chronic increase in the latter in the blood (hyperinsulinemia), which in turn is responsible for the development, over time, of type 2 diabetes. And today, the figure is epidemic in nature, with a prevalence that exceeds 51%. of the general population, both in developed and developing countries. This was revealed in a recent article on Frontiers in cardiovascular medicine.
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In addition to the development of type 2 diabetes, other repercussions involve the cardiovascular system and the nervous system, with a potential increase in the onset of tumors. A finding that arouses interest because there is a progressive growth of the two associated factors (insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia), resulting, first of all, from an incorrect lifestyle. “An excessive diet, especially based on carbohydrates (pasta, bread, sugary drinks) when it is not counterbalanced by adequate physical activity – he stated Serafino Fazioformer professor of Internal Medicine at Federico II in Naples and first author of the study – is one of the major causes of insulin resistance”.
La review
The article, which essentially identifies itself as a review of the scientific literature of the last twenty years, highlights the potential alterations that are produced over the years by insulin resistance and increased levels of insulin in the blood. One of the main alterations is atherosclerosis, the thickening and reduction of the elasticity of the arteries, both large and small (macro and microcirculation). In fact, the atherosclerotic process can produce significant damage to all the noble organs of our organism (heart, brain, lungs and kidneys): in practice, the most delicate ones whose function, if compromised, is difficult to recover, or is only partially recoverable. , through appropriate pharmacological therapy.
Heart damage
And as if that wasn’t enough, excess insulin has a direct negative impact on the heart muscle, causing its so-called hypertrophy (increase in the thickness of the left ventricle). In essence, it does not increase the entire volume of the heart, but only that of its walls which, in turn, are the basis of the “concentric remodeling” of the ventricle itself. “Among other things – continues Fazio – the chain of damage does not end, because cardiac hypertrophy is in itself an independent risk factor for decompensation”. And when we reach this stage it is already too late, in many cases, to avoid seeing the quality of life and survival itself compromised. With consequent repercussions on hospitalizations and healthcare spending.
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The damage caused by insulin resistance and the resulting hyperinsulinemia is evident in diabetic patients who develop cardiomyopathy, as well as in those who subsequently develop arterial hypertension. Insulin, always in the dock? “It ends when its increase is a consequence of insulin resistance – replies the expert – like all hormones, it can cause disasters both when its levels are low and, as in the case we are talking about, if they are high. It goes specified that insulin is also a growth factor that can stimulate the growth of neoplastic cells.”
Lo screening
To avoid taking risks, as always you must aim for prevention. And, to obtain the benefits, it is not enough to periodically check only blood sugar levels, which is already common practice for the majority of the population, but also insulin levels. “In fact, the blood sugar levels, evaluated individually, may turn out to be normal – specifies Fazio – this does not mean that everything is fine because at the same time the insulin could be elevated, a phenomenon present in all conditions of insulin resistance. Furthermore, the values should be monitored of triglycerides and cholesterol (HDL) because they are the parameters that tell us if we are insulin resistant, through the calculation of three indices: Homa-IR (Homeostatic index of insulin-resistance), TyG (Triglycerides-glucose index) and Triglycerides/HDLc (ratio between triglycerides and HDL cholesterol).
Objective to correct lifestyle
First of all, correct your lifestyle by increasing physical activity and reducing calorie intake, especially carbohydrates. “In clinical practice, however – concludes the specialist – only 25 percent of patients succeed, which is why the remaining 75 percent should be supported with substances that reduce insulin resistance. Today both targeted drugs and natural substances are available , which act in this sense. Among the first, the oldest but still valid is metformin, while among the latest generation molecules we should mention the so-called “inhibitors” of the sodium-glucose pump at the renal level (SGLT2-I) and the agonists. Glucagon-like-peptide-1 (GLP-1 a) receptors. The list of supplements (nutraceuticals) includes berberine used for 2000 years in Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine, sillymarin once believed to be a liver protector, quercetin and L-arginine”.
What insulin does
It is the polypeptide hormone (various amino acids) secreted by the pancreas known mainly for its ability to regulate glucose metabolism. This is the physiological mechanism that presides over the maintenance of normal levels of glucose in the blood (glycaemia). But the actions it carries out are multiple. And they are precisely those that determine, stimulated by an excess value during insulin resistance, damage at a cardiovascular, neurological and oncological level.
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#cholesterol #high #blood #pressure #insulin #bad #heart
– 2024-04-25 05:49:29
