7 Easy Tips To Reduce Insulin And Lose Belly Fat
This article was originally published in August 2014 and has been updated. If the thought of the weather getting warmer, and clothing options getting lighter or more sparse has you dreading the change in temperature, you aren’t alone. Hormones influence not only how much body fat you have, but also where you carry it. If your trouble areas are your love handles, then it’s a good bet that your insulin levels are too high. Too much insulin not only encourages your body to store unused glucose as fat, but also blocks the use of stored fat as an energy source — a double whammy for any waistline. Here are some ways that may help reduce your insulin. 1. Have a blueberry smoothie Could eating blueberries help get rid of belly fat? According to a study published in the Journal of Nutrition, a daily dose of the bioactive ingredients from blueberries also increases sensitivity to insulin and may reduce the risk of developing diabetes in at-risk individuals. Researchers discovered that obese, non-diabetic and insulin-resistant participants who consumed a blueberry smoothie daily for six weeks experienced a 22 percent change in insulin sensitivity, compared to only 4.9 percent in the placebo group. 2. Take vitamin D The sunshine vitamin can help you get a better midriff, not to mention boost your hormones. A study published in the British Journal of Nutrition showed women who were given a daily dose of 4,000 IU of vitamin D3 showed improvements in their insulin resistance after six months of supplementation. You may wish to have your blood level of vitamin D3 tested by your doctor at some point; the Vitamin D Council recommends maintaining blood serum levels of 125nmol/L and the participants whose vitamin D levels were between 80 and 119nmol/L had the biggest improvements in Continue reading >>
Improve Your Insulin Sensitivity & Lose The Belly Fat!
Insulin sensitivity is something you need to know about if you struggle with your weight & nothing seems to work for you. What is Insulin? Insulin is a hormone that gets glucose out of your bloodstream & into your cells so you can use it for fuel, or store it for later use. When you are insulin resistant though, this system doesn’t work properly & glucose tends to just get placed into long-term storage (fat). The more fat you have stored already – the more insulin resistant you become, a very annoying cycle affecting many Australians today, which can ultimately prove fatal. When you think insulin, you first think diabetes. But you should also be thinking muscles & fat, weight loss & energy. When your body senses high blood glucose (ie after eating) insulin release is triggered (to get the glucose out of your bloodstream & into your cells for burning). If you’re eating loads of carbs all the time, your cells become less & less sensitive to insulin (it’s just always there), so you end up with constantly high blood sugar & high insulin, because your cells aren’t letting the sugar in to burn it. You are ‘resistant’ to the normal effect of insulin, no longer sensitive to its action. This is a bad situation – you’ll put on fat, lose muscle & feel tired & cranky too. Feeling like you might already be insulin resistant? (Don’t worry – it’s not just you, there are millions of other Aussies in the same boat). So how do you become more ’insulin sensitive’ again? Morning / Fasted exercise: This uses up all of your left-over stored energy very quickly, & will force you to then rely on fat as a fuel source. Walk fast, or jog slowly, for 40-60 mins each morning (or as many mornings as you can, on an empty stomach. You can drink a black coffee (no milk or su Continue reading >>
Insulin Resistance May Be Making You Fat
Insulin resistance is a hormonal issue and may be the reason the scales aren't shifting. For many years, scientists and nutritionists have preached that weight loss comes down to a simple equation: kilojoules in versus kilojoules out. While this principle is true to an extent, there are a number of increasingly common hormonal shifts that can alter this relationship. Insulin resistance, the clinical condition that precedes type 2 diabetes, is one such diagnosis. Individuals with insulin resistance will struggle to lose weight via traditional weight loss prescriptions simply because their body is not burning fuel the way it should be. Insulin is a hormone secreted by the pancreas and used to digest carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are found in plant-based foods including bread, rice, breakfast cereal, pasta, fruits and sugars. When carbohydrate-rich foods are consumed, insulin is secreted by the pancreas to take glucose from the food to the muscles for energy. For a number of reasons, over time insulin may fail to work as well as it should. Weight gain, where fat clogs the cells, is one reason, as is a lack of physical activity. Genes can also predispose a person to insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. The highly processed nature of our daily carbohydrate food choices, including breads, breakfast cereal and snack foods, which require much higher amounts of insulin than less processed, low-GI carbohydrates, is also thought to be a significant contributing factor to the increased incidence of insulin resistance. Resistance to insulin builds up over time, with the body gradually producing more and more insulin in an attempt to get it to work better at taking glucose to the body's cells for energy. As insulin is also a fat-storing hormone, the more of it that circulates in th Continue reading >>
Abdominal Fat & Insulin Resistance
If you have insulin resistance, you’re not alone -- this disorder of the body’s endocrine system affects up to 80 million Americans, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians. If untreated, insulin resistance can develop into serious health problems like type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Because increased belly fat is one of the primary risk factors, treatment for insulin resistance involves lifestyle changes such as losing weight and exercising. Video of the Day Insulin resistance means that your body’s muscle, fat and liver cells don’t respond normally to insulin, requiring your pancreas to produce increasing amounts of insulin to help blood glucose enter cells so it can be used as energy. All that excess glucose builds up in your bloodstream and can lead to diabetes and other diseases. Scientists have also learned that abdominal fat cells can disrupt the normal balance and functioning of hormones such as leptin and adiponectin, which are thought to play a role in your body’s response to insulin, according to Harvard University Medical School. Left untreated, insulin resistance not only causes diabetes, but it can lead to obesity, high cholesterol and cardiovascular disease, although the relationship between insulin resistance and the development of these conditions isn't yet known, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians. The AAFP also notes there is a strong relationship between abdominal obesity and the degree of insulin resistance, regardless of how much you weigh overall. To estimate your level of abdominal obesity, you can use the waist-hip ratio by measuring your waist at its narrowest point, usually just above the belly button, and your hips at their fullest point around the buttocks. Then, you divide your waist measureme Continue reading >>
How To Fight Insulin Resistance And Get Rid Of Belly Fat
It is a frightening statistic that over 50% of adults are overweight or obese. The problem with this is that being overweight severely increases the risk of developing other serious health problems. Obesity is strongly linked to the development of health problems like heart disease, stroke, Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and even cancer. The global death toll due to obesity is currently higher than that of tobacco! Almost every single person that is overweight already suffers from “pre-diabetes” without even knowing it. When you gain weight, especially around the belly, it puts you at risk of various diseases, and also makes a shorter lifespan a reality. What Causes Belly Fat? Belly fat can be contributed to various things, but the main culprit is a hormone known as “insulin”. This is the hormone responsible for keeping your blood sugar levels balanced, but it is also the hormone that manages fat storage! When the body needs more and more insulin in order to keep blood sugar levels stable, it can cause excessive weight gain around the waistline. It goes on like this until your body reaches a stage where the insulin has no effect anymore, and then we say that you have become “insulin resistant”. When this happens and the insulin stops working as it should, it is very near impossible to shake off the belly fat. Symptoms of Insulin Resistance: Apart from the obvious belly fat that you are lugging around, some common symptoms include: Fatigue after meals Sugar cravings Blood sugar swings or hypoglycemia High triglycerides Low HDL (low levels of good cholesterol) Low sex drive Problems with blood clotting The Biggest Challenge of Belly Fat: To be honest, the actual belly fat is not your biggest challenge. The biggest challenge you face is your brain. In or Continue reading >>
The Best Diabetes-friendly Foods To Help Fight Belly Fat
1 / 8 Why Reducing Belly Fat Is Key for Preventing and Managing Diabetes Did you know that belly fat can put you at risk for diabetes and other health problems? “Belly fat, the fat deep within our abdomen, appears to be some of the most active — and therefore, most harmful — type of fat,” says Diane Norwood, RD, CDE, who is in private practice in Virginia Beach, Virginia. “It interferes with hormones and contributes to insulin resistance and inflammation.” Insulin resistance is the hallmark of type 2 diabetes and refers to the body’s inability to use the hormone insulin to ferry glucose, or blood sugar, to our cells and muscles for energy. Glucose is the body’s main source of energy. Sylvia White, RD, CDE, who is in private practice in Memphis, Tennessee, says that subcutaneous fat is the type we can pinch under the skin, while visceral fat resides around the organs. Too much visceral fat is dangerous and can cause inflammation in the body, which can heighten the risk of diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, and cancer. A lot of your body’s vital organs are in the abdominal area, so it makes sense that padding this area with extra fat could compromise the normal functioning of these organs, including the liver, pancreas, digestive tract, and kidneys. And if you think belly fat is just a risk to overweight or obese people, think again. “Contrary to popular belief, even people who are not overweight can have excess body fat as belly fat, which may result in insulin resistance,” Norwood says. “Over time, insulin resistance may lead to type 2 diabetes and its many chronic complications.” Certain foods, such as sugary drinks, may contribute to belly fat, according to a January 2016 study in Circulation. When we drink beverages sweetened with Continue reading >>
Does Injected Insulin Hold Fat In The Stomach?
I am 83 years old and have had diabetes for 48 years. I have tried for seven years to lose weight, and I lose it everywhere except my stomach. I've injected insulin in my stomach for 45 years. Is it true that the insulin I inject holds the fat in my stomach? If so, how can I get rid of the stomach fat without moving the injection site to other parts of my body? Continue reading >>
Belly Fat: Is Insulin Resistance To Blame?
Can’t shift stubborn belly fat? Insulin resistance could be to blame. Take action now to reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes in the future. Craving sugar, constantly feeling tired and really struggling to lose weight, you put yourself on a strict diet. But despite exercising regularly and keeping junk food in check, you simply can’t lose that spare tyre. Why? Because your body’s natural food-into-fuel process is failing to function properly. When you eat carbohydrate-rich foods, such as fruit, bread, starchy veg and sugary snacks, they break down into glucose to fuel your body. Of course, you want to use this fuel for energy, not store it as fat, but this all depends on your body’s response to the hormone insulin. Q. What is insulin resistance? Insulin moves glucose from the blood into the cells so that the body can either burn it as fuel or store it as fat. Insulin resistance occurs when the body’s cells fail to respond properly to insulin. For some of us, insulin’s effectiveness wanes as we age, so the body begins to need more and more to help glucose enter the cells. Over time, often years, this resistance escalates, as the body continues to pump out ever-increasing amounts of insulin. When the body starts struggling to make enough insulin to overcome the resistance, blood-glucose levels rise. Initially, these levels are mildly elevated, causing impaired glucose tolerance, a condition we call prediabetes; however, levels can eventually rise even further, causing the onset of type 2 diabetes. Q. What are the symptoms? “The main symptoms of insulin resistance are extra weight around the midriff and difficulty in losing weight, particularly if you have a family history of diabetes,” explains Kate Marsh, PhD, an Advanced Accredited Practising Dietitian an Continue reading >>
Banish Belly Fat With These Insulin-lowering Superfoods
Banish belly fat with these insulin-lowering superfoods Pack on a few pounds this summer? Reach for these foods packed with powerful nutrients to help you lose your love handles and get back on track for fall. If your nutrition and exercise plans were taken over by the lazy days of summer then you may be gearing up for the great September slim down. As you know, any diet program starts in the kitchen before it can even progress to the gym. However, there are a few key everyday nutrients that are easy to overlook en route to a smaller waistline. Here are seven that you should incorporate more often to lose your love handles. This power-nutrient plays an important role in how (and how much) insulin is released. A magnesium-rich diet abundant can substantially reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, according to a report from Harvard University . Researchers followed 85,000 women and 42,000 men for 18 and 12 years respectively, during which time 5,400 participants developed type 2 diabetes. Those with the highest levels of dietary magnesium intake reduced their risk of developing type 2 diabetes by up to 34 percent even when their weight, physical activity and lifestyle habits werent anything to brag about. Bottom line:Reach for magnesium-rich foods like raw spinach, three cups of it boasts 72 mg. Adding half a cup of nuts and seeds can render more than 600 mg of magnesium, a cup of cooked beans or lentils can give you almost 150 mg while a six ounce serving of fish brings 91 mg. I recommend taking 200-800 mg of magnesium citrate or glycinate to bowel tolerance daily. Chances are youve heard of iodine in connection with the master of your metabolism, your thyroid . However it also plays a role in helping you lose your love handles, by improving insulin levels. Rese Continue reading >>
Effect Of Walking Exercise On Abdominal Fat, Insulin Resistance And Serum Cytokines In Obese Women
Effect of walking exercise on abdominal fat, insulin resistance and serum cytokines in obese women We are experimenting with display styles that make it easier to read articles in PMC. The ePub format uses eBook readers, which have several "ease of reading" features already built in. The ePub format is best viewed in the iBooks reader. You may notice problems with the display of certain parts of an article in other eReaders. Generating an ePub file may take a long time, please be patient. Effect of walking exercise on abdominal fat, insulin resistance and serum cytokines in obese women Hye-Ryun Hong, Jin-Ok Jeong, [...], and Hyun-Sik Kang The purpose of the study was to investigate the effect of 12-week walking exercise on abdominal fat, insulin resistance and serum cytokines in obese women. Following baseline measurements, obese women (N = 20) who met obesity criterion of BMI at 25 kg/m2 or greater were randomly assigned to the control (n = 10) or exercise groups (n = 10). Women assigned to the exercise group participated in a walking exercise (with an intensity of 50-60% of predetermined VO2max, a frequency of 3 days per week and duration of 50-70 minutes targeting 400 kcal of energy expenditure per session) for 12 weeks, while women assigned to the control group maintained their sedentary lifestyle. After the 12-week walking intervention, post-test measurements were conducted using the same procedure as the baseline measurement. Analyses of variance with repeated measures were used to evaluate any significant time by group interactions for the measured variables. With respect to body fat parameters, significant time-by-group interactions were found in the abdominal subcutaneous (p = < 0.001) and visceral adipose tissues (p = 0.011). The exercise group had significan Continue reading >>
Abdominal Fat And Insulin Resistance In Normal And Overweight Women: Directmeasurements Reveal A Strong Relationship In Subjects At Both Low And High Riskof Niddm.
Abdominal fat and insulin resistance in normal and overweight women: Directmeasurements reveal a strong relationship in subjects at both low and high riskof NIDDM. Carey DG(1), Jenkins AB, Campbell LV, Freund J, Chisholm DJ. (1)Garvan Institute of Medical Research, St. Vincent's Hospital, Sydney, Australia. Insulin resistance appears to be central to obesity, NIDDM, hyperlipidemia, andcardiovascular disease. While obese women with abdominal (android) fatdistribution are more insulin resistant than those with peripheral (gynecoid)obesity, in nonobese women, the relationship between abdominal fat and insulinresistance is unknown. By measuring regional adiposity with dual-energy X-rayabsorptiometry and insulin sensitivity by euglycemic-hyperinsulinemic clamp in 22healthy women, with a mean +/- SE body BMI of 26.7 +/- 0.9 kg/m2 and differingrisk factors for NIDDM, we found a strong negative relationship between centralabdominal (intra-abdominal plus abdominal subcutaneous) fat and whole-bodyinsulin sensitivity (r = -0.89, P < 0.0001) and nonoxidative glucose disposal (r = -0.77, P < 0.001), independent of total adiposity, family history of NIDDM, andpast gestational diabetes. There was a large variation in insulin sensitivity,with a similar variation in central fat, even in those whose BMI was <25 kg/m2.Abdominal fat had a significantly stronger relationship with insulin sensitivity than peripheral nonabdominal fat (r2 = 0.79 vs. 0.44), and higher levels wereassociated with increased fasting nonesterified fatty acids, lipid oxidation, andhepatic glucose output. Because 79% of the variance in insulin sensitivity inthis heterogeneous population was accounted for by central fat, abdominaladiposity appears to be a strong marker and may be a major determinant of insulinresistan Continue reading >>
How Insulin Really Works: It Causes Fat Storage…but Doesn’t Make You Fat
Many people believe that insulin is to blame for the obesity epidemic. When you understand how it actually works, you’ll know why this is a lie. Insulin has been taking quite a beating these days. If we’re to listen to some “experts,” it’s an evil hormone whose sole goal is making us fat, type 2 diabetics. Furthermore, we’re told that carbohydrates also are in on the conspiracy. By eating carbs, we open the insulin floodgates and wreak havoc in our bodies. How true are these claims, though? Does it really make sense that our bodies would come with an insidious mechanism to punish carbohydrate intake? Let’s find out. What is Insulin, Anyway? Insulin is a hormone, which means it’s a substance the body produces to affect the functions of organs or tissues, and it’s made and released into the blood by the pancreas. Insulin’s job is a very important one: when you eat food, it’s broken down into basic nutrients (protein breaks down into amino acids; dietary fats into fatty acids; and carbohydrates into glucose), which make their way into the bloodstream. These nutrients must then be moved from the blood into muscle and fat cells for use or storage, and that’s where insulin comes into play: it helps shuttle the nutrients into cells by “telling” the cells to open up and absorb them. So, whenever you eat food, your pancreas releases insulin into the blood. As the nutrients are slowly absorbed into cells, insulin levels drop, until finally all the nutrients are absorbed, and insulin levels then remain steady at a low, “baseline” level. This cycle occurs every time you eat food: amino acids, fatty acids, and/or glucose find their way into your blood, and they’re joined by additional insulin, which ushers them into cells. Once the job is done, insu Continue reading >>
Insulin And Weight Gain: Keep The Pounds Off
Insulin and weight gain often go hand in hand, but weight control is possible. If you need insulin therapy, here's how to minimize — or avoid — weight gain. Weight gain is a common side effect for people who take insulin — a hormone that regulates the absorption of sugar (glucose) by cells. This can be frustrating because maintaining a healthy weight is an important part of your overall diabetes management plan. The good news is that it is possible to maintain your weight while taking insulin. The link between insulin and weight gain When you take insulin, glucose is able to enter your cells, and glucose levels in your blood drop. This is the desired treatment goal. But if you take in more calories than you need to maintain a healthy weight — given your level of activity — your cells will get more glucose than they need. Glucose that your cells don't use accumulates as fat. Avoid weight gain while taking insulin Eating healthy foods and being physically active most days of the week can help you prevent unwanted weight gain. The following tips can help you keep the pounds off: Count calories. Eating and drinking fewer calories helps you prevent weight gain. Stock the refrigerator and pantry with fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Plan for every meal to have the right mix of starches, fruits and vegetables, proteins, and fats. Generally, experts recommend that meals consist of half non starchy vegetable, one-quarter protein and one quarter a starch such as rice or a starchy vegetable such as corn or peas. Trim your portion sizes, skip second helpings and drink water instead of high-calorie drinks. Talk to your doctor, nurse or a dietitian about meal-planning strategies and resources. Don't skip meals. Don't try to cut calories by skipping meals. When you skip Continue reading >>
Abdominal Fat And What To Do About It
Visceral fat more of a health concern than subcutaneous fat Though the term might sound dated, "middle-age spread" is a greater concern than ever. As people go through their middle years, their proportion of fat to body weight tends to increase — more so in women than men. Extra pounds tend to park themselves around the midsection. At one time, we might have accepted these changes as an inevitable fact of aging. But we've now been put on notice that as our waistlines grow, so do our health risks. Abdominal, or visceral, fat is of particular concern because it's a key player in a variety of health problems — much more so than subcutaneous fat, the kind you can grasp with your hand. Visceral fat, on the other hand, lies out of reach, deep within the abdominal cavity, where it pads the spaces between our abdominal organs. Visceral fat has been linked to metabolic disturbances and increased risk for cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. In women, it is also associated with breast cancer and the need for gallbladder surgery. Are you pear-shaped or apple-shaped? Fat accumulated in the lower body (the pear shape) is subcutaneous, while fat in the abdominal area (the apple shape) is largely visceral. Where fat ends up is influenced by several factors, including heredity and hormones. As the evidence against abdominal fat mounts, researchers and clinicians are trying to measure it, correlate it with health risks, and monitor changes that occur with age and overall weight gain or loss. The good news is that visceral fat yields fairly easily to exercise and diet, with benefits ranging from lower blood pressure to more favorable cholesterol levels. Subcutaneous fat located at the waist — the pinchable stuff — can be frustratingly difficult to budge, but in normal-weig Continue reading >>
7 Ways To Permanently Banish Belly Fat
Sixty-nine percent of American adults are overweight, and over 35 percent are obese1. These conditions aren’t just aesthetically unpleasing. Obesity increases your risk for numerous conditions including heart disease, stroke, Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and cancer2. Sadly, about 3.4 million adults die each year3 from being overweight or obese. Globally, obesity now kills about the same as tobacco and more than all wars, terrorism, and violence. Nearly all people who are overweight already have “pre-diabetes” and have significant risks of disease and death. They just don’t know it. When you begin to put on weight, especially lethal belly fat, your biology shifts out of balance, veering into the unstable and unhealthy territory of disease —which in turn makes you fatter. A vicious, deadly cycle ensues unless you take control of your weight. Insulin: The Key Player in Belly Fat Numerous hormones contribute to belly fat, but none proves more powerful than insulin, your fat storage hormone. High levels of insulin tell your body to gain weight around the belly, and you become more apple-shaped over time. Insulin also drives inflammation and oxidative stress, creating myriad downstream effects. Eventually you become insulin resistant, which leads your body to generate belly fat and hold on to that spare tire for dear life. Fatigue after meals, sugar cravings, blood sugar swings or hypoglycemia, high triglycerides, low HDL, low sex drive, and problems with blood clotting are also common among people who are overweight. Simply put, less insulin equals less belly fat, since insulin makes you hungry and stores belly fat. The best thing you can do to prevent diabesity and all its problems is to lose weight. The Number One Thing You Can Do to Reduce Belly Fat Hig Continue reading >>
