The Mini-Fast Diet by Julian Whitaker

Author:Julian Whitaker
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Rodale Press
Published: 2012-03-15T00:00:00+00:00

INSULIN RESISTANCE AND METABOLIC SYNDROME

We discussed insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome as consequences of excess weight in Chapter 2, but I want to briefly revisit these conditions because they are a cause, as well as a result, of obesity. You may not think of insulin as a hormone, but as anyone with type 1 diabetes can tell you, it is one of the body’s most important hormones, because without it, nutrients cannot be transported into the cells. Your digestive system breaks down the food you eat into glucose, amino acids, fatty acids, and other basic components. As glucose is released into the blood, the pancreas secretes insulin, which signals the cells to take up glucose and other nutrients.

Sometimes, however, the cells fail to respond to these signals, and more and more insulin must be produced in order to clear glucose out of the blood. This is known as insulin resistance, and it’s associated with so many metabolic abnormalities that the cluster of conditions linked to it is called metabolic syndrome. Insulin resistance is both caused by and contributes to weight gain, particularly in the abdominal area. As a matter of fact, the most visible sign of insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome is abdominal obesity.

But the problems are more than skin-deep. As adipocytes (fat cells) in this area balloon with fat, they release fatty acids that drive up levels of triglycerides (fats in the blood). Metabolic syndrome is also accompanied by reduced levels of protective HDL cholesterol; increased concentrations of small, dense LDL; and hypertension—all of which are risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Furthermore, surplus fat has to get deposited elsewhere, and much of it ends up in places where fat has no business being, such as the liver, muscles, and pancreas. This inappropriate deposition, called ectopic fat, leads to chronic inflammation, oxidative stress, additional weight gain, and more severe insulin resistance. To compensate, the pancreas must churn out more and more insulin. Over time, stressed by increased demands and damaged by ectopic fat, it cannot keep up. At that point, type 2 diabetes develops. 15

Now you can see how tangled and destructive the web of abdominal obesity and insulin resistance can be. It isn’t always clear which came first—excess fat or metabolic syndrome—but the endgame is the same: an increased risk of heart disease, diabetes, and premature death. There are natural treatments for insulin resistance and the various aspects of metabolic syndrome, and getting a handle on them may help with your weight loss efforts. (To learn more, visit www.whitakerwellness.com.) However, the most effective treatment for metabolic syndrome is diet and exercise, i.e., the mini-fast with exercise.

H.N. had metabolic syndrome for at least 20 years (low HDL, elevated triglycerides, slightly higher than normal LDL, and a large waist). His doctor put him on Zocor, a cholesterol-lowering drug, but he found the side effects intolerable. So he discontinued it and started taking niacin and following the mini-fast with exercise. In less than 3 months, he lost 17 pounds, his triglycerides decreased

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