Antoaneta Sawyer, PhD
Insulin is an important polypeptide hormone secreted by the islets of Langerhans in the pancreas that is central to regulate the metabolism of carbohydrates and fats in the human body. Its main role is in the conversion of glucose to glycogen, which lowers the elevated blood glucose to normal levels. Insulin causes body cells in different organs and tissues (e.g. liver, muscle, and fat tissue) to utilize glucose from blood, storing the restful amount as glycogen in the liver and muscle. It helps controlling the metabolism of foods you eat and levels of glucose in the blood as an authentic “key keeper."
The function of insulin seems rather simple. During digestion, sugar is absorbed into the blood stream and elevated blood sugar levels stimulate the production of insulin in the pancreas. Insulin allows glucose to diffuse from the blood into essential body organs and tissues in order to be utilized for energy. While regulating glucose and glycogen in the liver, insulin also controls blood sugar by promoting protein synthesis in the cells.
There are two reasons the blood glucose to stay unutilized properly by the body cells- when insulin is absent (type 1 diabetes) and in case of a relative insuline deficiency or “insulin resistance” (type 2 diabetes). Type 2 diabetes can also occur as a result of a partial failure of the pancreas. Thus, glucose builds up in the blood, resulting in an excessive amount of circulating blood glucose (hyperglycemia). Even people with diabetes who take oral medication or require insulin injections to control their blood glucose levels can have higher than normal blood insulin.
The phenomena “insulin resistance” occurs when the normal amount of insulin secreted by the pancreas is not able to unlock the door to cells. In some cases (about 1/3 of the people with insulin resistance), do not respond to elevated levels of insulin. In metabolic syndrome, the body cells become resistant to normal effects of insulin and the cells do not absorb glucose from the blood properly to use for energy. In case that a person is affected by metabolic syndrome, his body is becoming resistant to normal levels of insulin secreted by the pancreas, making impossible the future utilization of glucose by the mitochondria in the cells. To maintain normal blood glucose, the pancreas secretes additional insulin, but not in sufficient quantities to meet the body’s needs. In order to balance the above disorder, the pancreas keeps producing additional amount of insulin, but as the body is becoming “deaf” to insulin stimulation or “insulin-resistant”- the last one cannot be used for future glucose assimilation.
Constantly elevated levels of insulin are responsible for the abdominal "apple shape" obesity - as a consequence of insulin resistance, leading to a high blood pressure, dyslipidemia, persistent hyperglycemia (high blood glucose), ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke, heart attack, type 2 diabetes, vision problems, gout, kidney insufficiency and Alzheimer's disease. Hence, metabolic syndrome can result in a variety of serious health problems, linked mainly to the central disorder – insulin resistance.
Central obesity and insulin resistance (glucose intolerance) are thought to represent the common underlying factors of the Syndrome X, whose other features are chronic low-grade proinflammatory state and a common prothrombotic state. Another missing link in the pathogenesis of metabolic syndrome is the long time unrecognized hepatic insulin resistance that appears to mediate the cascade of glucose intolerance, hyperglycemia, high level of triglyceride, and HDL-cholesterol abnormalities that contribute to the constellation of heart-disease risk factors called metabolic syndrome and it does represent a newly discovered pathophysiology link in CVD development.
If you would like to learn more on the above topic, to request an on line or by phone alternative consultation, or a newly written article that can suit your business purposes, please call: (715) 392-7591; (218) 213-6167; or (218) 213-7087
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. The material in this newsletter is provided for informational purposes only. Thus our intentions are not to diagnose, cure, mitigate, treat or prevent any disease. If you use the information in this newsletter without the approval of your health professional, the authors of this letter do not assume any responsibility. Copyright @ 2010, Natural Health-Wellness LLC. All rights reserved.
There are two reasons the blood glucose to stay unutilized properly by the body cells- when insulin is absent (type 1 diabetes) and in case of a relative insuline deficiency or “insulin resistance” (type 2 diabetes). Type 2 diabetes can also occur as a result of a partial failure of the pancreas. Thus, glucose builds up in the blood, resulting in an excessive amount of circulating blood glucose (hyperglycemia). Even people with diabetes who take oral medication or require insulin injections to control their blood glucose levels can have higher than normal blood insulin.
The phenomena “insulin resistance” occurs when the normal amount of insulin secreted by the pancreas is not able to unlock the door to cells. In some cases (about 1/3 of the people with insulin resistance), do not respond to elevated levels of insulin. In metabolic syndrome, the body cells become resistant to normal effects of insulin and the cells do not absorb glucose from the blood properly to use for energy. In case that a person is affected by metabolic syndrome, his body is becoming resistant to normal levels of insulin secreted by the pancreas, making impossible the future utilization of glucose by the mitochondria in the cells. To maintain normal blood glucose, the pancreas secretes additional insulin, but not in sufficient quantities to meet the body’s needs. In order to balance the above disorder, the pancreas keeps producing additional amount of insulin, but as the body is becoming “deaf” to insulin stimulation or “insulin-resistant”- the last one cannot be used for future glucose assimilation.
Constantly elevated levels of insulin are responsible for the abdominal "apple shape" obesity - as a consequence of insulin resistance, leading to a high blood pressure, dyslipidemia, persistent hyperglycemia (high blood glucose), ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke, heart attack, type 2 diabetes, vision problems, gout, kidney insufficiency and Alzheimer's disease. Hence, metabolic syndrome can result in a variety of serious health problems, linked mainly to the central disorder – insulin resistance.
Central obesity and insulin resistance (glucose intolerance) are thought to represent the common underlying factors of the Syndrome X, whose other features are chronic low-grade proinflammatory state and a common prothrombotic state. Another missing link in the pathogenesis of metabolic syndrome is the long time unrecognized hepatic insulin resistance that appears to mediate the cascade of glucose intolerance, hyperglycemia, high level of triglyceride, and HDL-cholesterol abnormalities that contribute to the constellation of heart-disease risk factors called metabolic syndrome and it does represent a newly discovered pathophysiology link in CVD development.
If you would like to learn more on the above topic, to request an on line or by phone alternative consultation, or a newly written article that can suit your business purposes, please call: (715) 392-7591; (218) 213-6167; or (218) 213-7087
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. The material in this newsletter is provided for informational purposes only. Thus our intentions are not to diagnose, cure, mitigate, treat or prevent any disease. If you use the information in this newsletter without the approval of your health professional, the authors of this letter do not assume any responsibility. Copyright @ 2010, Natural Health-Wellness LLC. All rights reserved.
You can visit us at Milwaukee Diets Examiner page: http://www.examiner.com/x-49392-Milwaukee-Diets-Examiner
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