The Ketogenic Diet & Insulin Resistance What is Insulin?

The Ketogenic Diet occupies a unique place in nutrition science across the world in the sense that it has the largest number of devotees and the largest number of critics at the same time. 

The unfortunate truth is that both camps – pro and against – are RIGHT! The school of thought that vehemently advocates the Ketogenic Lifestyle has undoubtedly experienced the sheer transformational power of this diet – both physical and mental health parameters.

It’s become widespread and the market is filled with brands that claim to be the best. Well, if you are planning to get fit, you may well be interested in a Ketogenic diet.   

The camp that thinks that Ketogenic Diet is an unhealthy fad is also right (in a sense) – The Ketogenic Diet can indeed have harmful effects BUT only when it is improperly and carelessly executed. This improper execution is something that takes away the essence of the Keto Diet and leads to various misconceptions regarding the same. 

The opposition of a Ketogenic Diet is actually an opposition to an improperly executed Ketogenic Diet. The problem, therefore, lies with the improper, unguided and haphazard Ketogenic Diet Plan.It’s been observed that the ILL EFFECTS of a Ketogenic Diet that some people experience are actually the ILL EFFECTS OF A BADLY EXECUTED KETOGENIC DIET.

Diets such as Paleo, Atkins, Ketogenic, Mediterranean, Vedic are designed for a specific purpose and for a specific time. These diets take into consideration the health conditions, goals, and other parameters of an individual.

Keto Diet is most talked about, with Insulin Resistance. Before learning about the relationship between the keto diet ad insulin resistance, let’s know about Insulin and Insulin resistance. 

What is Insulin?

Beta-cells situated in the pancreas create a protein-based hormone known as Insulin. The pancreas creates compounds that guide with assimilation, a stage in digestion.

Insulin’s main role is to manage the digestion of fats and starches. The stomach related framework separates carbs, for example, sugars and carbs, into an atom called glucose.Insulin permits cells in the body to ingest glucose, eventually bringing down dimensions of glucose in the circulatory system.

After a feast is expended, blood glucose levels increment and the pancreas reacts by discharging insulin into the blood. Insulin helps fat, liver, and muscle cells assimilate glucose from the blood, bringing about lower dimensions of blood glucose.Insulin invigorates the liver and muscle tissues to store overabundance glucose as a particle called glycogen and furthermore decreases glucose creation by the liver.

When glucose is low, the hormone glucagon delivered by alpha-cells in the pancreas animate cells to separate glycogen into glucose that is hence discharged into the circulatory system.

In some individuals who don’t have type II diabetes, these capacities permit dimensions of blood glucose and insulin to remain in a typical range.The next section deals with keto diet and insulin resistance.

What Is Insulin Resistance?

Insulin resistance is a condition in which cells all through the body never again react to the typical activities of the hormone insulin. All the more explicitly, muscle, liver, and fat cells experience issues engrossing glucose from the circulatory system. So as to make up for this, the body creates more insulin.

At first, the body is commonly ready to beat the insulin resistance and dimensions of blood glucose remain in a sound range. In any case, as resistance develops, the beta cells in the pancreas are unfit to deliver adequate insulin to direct blood glucose. Subsequently, blood glucose levels can rise and result in prediabetes, diabetes, and other health issues like metabolic disorders.

What Causes Insulin Resistance

Most researches suggest that the most common reason for having high blood sugar levels is eating too many carbohydrates, sugary foods, and beverages. Another common reason is that your sedentary lifestyle isn’t giving your cells to use all stored glucose.

Other factors that may contribute towards or worsen the symptoms of increased blood sugar levels is the age, inflammations, PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome), high blood pressure, etc.

Keto Diet And Insulin Resistance

Insulin resistance is an issue that, if not appropriately oversaw, can prompt prediabetes and in the long run Type II diabetes. Altering one’s diet to a Ketogenic diet can help individuals bring down their insulin to sound dimensions and may even help switch insulin resistance.

Generally, we eat a lot of carbs per day. Every time we eat carbs, we trigger an insulin response in our body. Any carbs you take are converted into sugars, increasing the sugar levels in your body. Taking more carbs only gets more sugars pumped into your bloodstream. When you are insulin resistant, high carbs are a big No!

Studies have suggested that lowering your carb intake, like on a keto diet, will have a positive impact on lowering high blood pressure, body fat, high cholesterol levels, and most importantly elevated blood sugar levels.

The low-carb eating and weight loss balance the insulin levels and make your body more capable of using insulin the right way even without medication.The low-carb diets are better than low-fat diets in increasing insulin levels.

These promising outcomes can be explained by the fact that the keto diet:

• Encourages us to sustain a calorie deficiency, which builds insulin affectability.
• It helps us lose fat, which diminishes irritation and the creation of flagging atoms that incite insulin resistance.
• Diminishes our glycemic load, which encourages us to manage glucose levels and abatement our insulin needs.
• Stimulates the creation and use of ketones. This can decrease insulin resistance by means of various components.

It is thus proven that not only does a ketogenic diet help in weight loss but it also helps subside and reverse the symptoms of various weight-related chronic health conditions like Diabetes Type 2, PCOS, etc. 

Many pieces of research also advocate the positive effects a ketogenic diet can have on sugar levels, thus the insulin resistance. A concrete relationship between keto diet and insulin resistance has been established through various researches.You should always, however, consult your doctor in case of any complications on a ketogenic diet. 

We wish you the best of luck with your keto regime. To know more about keto diets, read our other articles too.