I see a Nutritional doctor for weight loss. They just prescribed a Dexcom G7 but I do not have it yet.
Insulin Resistance - ready to learn something?
- Thread starter Donald
- Start date
I was reading Lipoprotein A and Lipoprotein B with one being larger than the other. But have not had it tested.
So reading two books in managing insulin resistance and diabetes.
1) Why We Get Sick
2) Mastering Diabetes
Both are pretty recent. Written in last 2 or 3 years.
They go in somewhat different directions. Why We Get Sick wants you to focus on avoiding seed oils and refined carbs. But animal meat is OK. In fact Ben Bikman says protein from animal meat is just superior to plant based protein. Mastering Diabetes wants you to shift towards a plant based diet.
More reading to do.
1) Why We Get Sick
2) Mastering Diabetes
Both are pretty recent. Written in last 2 or 3 years.
They go in somewhat different directions. Why We Get Sick wants you to focus on avoiding seed oils and refined carbs. But animal meat is OK. In fact Ben Bikman says protein from animal meat is just superior to plant based protein. Mastering Diabetes wants you to shift towards a plant based diet.
More reading to do.
Just finished reading "Diabetic Code" and "Why We Get Sick" These two books should be required reading for ALL health providers. You might question - ALL DOCTORS? Sure because so many things cause insulin resistance. Crazy good reading, some gets a little deep, but just keep going. Hyperinsulinemia is real.
"Mastering Diabetes" meh, not so much. Not bad for a few ideas though. Too much fructose if you really are trying to heal your liver. I'm not going full vegan, does not work for me.
My next A1c test will be in February. We shall see, but my insulin response is much much less lazy. I can regularly get readings below 100. 92-94 and even after a decent meal, with some carbs, 130-140. If I go 150, I can pull back to 115 in 60 minutes or so. My body was not doing this before I had no below 100 readings in a VERY long time.
Most importantly I know the trigger foods. I know the borderline food.
Cravings have dropped way way off.
I became fairly fat adapted, so I dialed back on the fats.
I've gone to two meals a day one at noon or so, the other done before 6PM. I eat a hefty lunch and dinner, hardly hungry sometimes, which is great.
Just as important, if not more I upped my resistance training, increased weight just a bit, go to failure. I walk hard as much as I can after I eat, snow lately, PITA.
Per your doc?
Why combat high cholesterol?
Not trying to go all medical, but this thread is about insulin resistance. And some of those are carb heavy. What is your A1c and insulin level?
I'm going to go way out on a limb and say that you should not get nutritional advice from most doctors. Medical schools do not teach human nutrition, how do I know this? We have a friend who graduated from medical school a few years ago. I asked him if he had any classes in nutrition, he said "No, they don't teach that in medical schools." He didn't have a single class in nutrition, none, nada, zilch.
He's now an anesthesiologist and I'm sure he's good at that, but he doesn't know jack about nutrition.
Doc says I need to try diet and get more exercise, or go on medication. They did not recommend a specific diet. I’m trying to avoid having to go on statins. I am having a redraw of my blood for a test in 3-4 months. My goal is to see if my diet will help. I am not diabetic, but have heard some people reverse diabetes through diet - especially a plant based diet. Curious to see what future research shows us.
But you are almost 100% guaranteed to be insulin resistant to a certain degree, which causes bad cholesterol. Read "The Diabetes Code" and change your diet accordingly along with fasting. You'll be amazed what it will do for you.
Great goal. Do NOT go on statins.
There is no guarantee on a plant based diet, especially if it includes grains. Besides, your body makes more cholesterol than you can eat.
How where you other lipids? Triglycerides for example. If those are high, yes insulin resistant.
Exercise. Start now.
Stop eating bread, pasta, starches, rice, etc sugar, dextrose, fructose, malto-dextrin, fruit juice, seed oils (canola, soy, corn, etc). I am not kidding, full stop. Read the ingredients. Cold turkey on all these.
Eat lots of green vegetables, salads with lean whole organic meats.
Consider smart fasting, two meals a day.
Divide triglycerides by HDL. You want it less than 1.3. The LDL test does not distinguish between A and B. A are large and float and don't cause plaque. B are smaller and can cause plaque.
I go to a nutritional Dr and a primary care Dr. I was the one who asked for a fasting insulin test and a CGM.
The primary care Dr wants me to go to diabetic education. I will probably go but my goal is to become insulin sensitive not just manage my blood sugar.
Maybe 20 years ago instead of prescribing blood pressure medicine why didn't a doctor tell me you are probably insulin resistant and that is causing your high blood pressure?
So a few things one can take from Dr Bikman that should be a wakeup call for so many people.
If you have high blood pressure and 2 times your waist (at belly button) is more than your height than almost guaranteed you are insulin resistance.
And if your insulin level is high your fat cells will never give up any energy.
ED is most likely caused by insulin resistance.
My concern is how can I find a doctor who wants to solve the root cause not the symptoms? Could be an integrated medicine doctor but they often want to use alternative medicine. I want normal medicine but go after the root cause.
The primary care Dr wants me to go to diabetic education. I will probably go but my goal is to become insulin sensitive not just manage my blood sugar.
Maybe 20 years ago instead of prescribing blood pressure medicine why didn't a doctor tell me you are probably insulin resistant and that is causing your high blood pressure?
So a few things one can take from Dr Bikman that should be a wakeup call for so many people.
If you have high blood pressure and 2 times your waist (at belly button) is more than your height than almost guaranteed you are insulin resistance.
And if your insulin level is high your fat cells will never give up any energy.
ED is most likely caused by insulin resistance.
My concern is how can I find a doctor who wants to solve the root cause not the symptoms? Could be an integrated medicine doctor but they often want to use alternative medicine. I want normal medicine but go after the root cause.
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Triglycerides are 75 and HDL is 69 so I am at 1.08.
That leads one to conclude you are not insulin resistant.
But ask or push for Dr to order fasting insulin.
I don't understand the removal of dairy unless you are intolerant.
The rest sounds good, just eat a bit less, exercise a lot more. Switch to olive oil only.
But don't be afraid of healthy fats. Chicken and lean beef - organic will be your friend.
I would also see if you have some inflammation or something irritating your body. Also how about cholesterol and family history? Your body is making it. The other thing to know since your other lipids seem OK, high cholesterol is not the scary thing they used to make it seem. Plenty of super healthy people with low A1c etc in their 70's and have 220-230 and no problems at all.
@GMFan
With arterial heart disease at the min they like to see LDL below 70, for me, we are looking to get it to around 40 and below and I will get there and have a goal of 30 in my mind, been close once or twice even without a min dose of stain I was under 100, Never above 60 now.
I take a 5mg statin now, every cardiologist I have seen said its not just about the cholesterol but a stain does help in ways they don't understand the arteries and veins stay more pliable or something like that.
My whole life I have had low HDL, LDL , Triglycerides always way below the maximum recommended. Highest I ever remember was 147.
You don't say your age or family history but I think you need to listen to your doctor and take this seriously to avoid procedures as you get older.
Everything I am doing is because my family history and my LipoProtein A are elevated significantly above the normal. Nothing at the present time can be done with it but they are working on a treament, it is in your genes/family history and a suspect/ leading cause of heart disease in addition of course to avoiding inflammation foods. So the new thinking is keep LDL and all foods that create inflammation (sugar) to as close to zero as possible.
Currently my total Cholesterol is 122, Tri 115 and LDL 62
My lowest in the past 5 years was Cholesterol 100, tri 60 ldl 48 (so I guess you an say "fell of the wagon a little bit" since I retired and have to get back "there" and better now that we know my lipoprotein A is way above normal.
With arterial heart disease at the min they like to see LDL below 70, for me, we are looking to get it to around 40 and below and I will get there and have a goal of 30 in my mind, been close once or twice even without a min dose of stain I was under 100, Never above 60 now.
I take a 5mg statin now, every cardiologist I have seen said its not just about the cholesterol but a stain does help in ways they don't understand the arteries and veins stay more pliable or something like that.
My whole life I have had low HDL, LDL , Triglycerides always way below the maximum recommended. Highest I ever remember was 147.
You don't say your age or family history but I think you need to listen to your doctor and take this seriously to avoid procedures as you get older.
Everything I am doing is because my family history and my LipoProtein A are elevated significantly above the normal. Nothing at the present time can be done with it but they are working on a treament, it is in your genes/family history and a suspect/ leading cause of heart disease in addition of course to avoiding inflammation foods. So the new thinking is keep LDL and all foods that create inflammation (sugar) to as close to zero as possible.
Currently my total Cholesterol is 122, Tri 115 and LDL 62
My lowest in the past 5 years was Cholesterol 100, tri 60 ldl 48 (so I guess you an say "fell of the wagon a little bit" since I retired and have to get back "there" and better now that we know my lipoprotein A is way above normal.
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Owen Lucas
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An integrative Dr. is still an MD / DO IIRC. The ones you want to stay away from are naturopaths. An integrative still went to medical school but their focus can be a little more organic and less medicine based.
Three root causes.
1. Genetics. There is a handful of genes implicated in the familial occurrence of diabetes. These genes affect insulin resistance, insulin production, and whether the metabolism can use zinc properly. A gene test can show if you are predisposed. You definitely should have labs done to see if you need a zinc supplement as diabetics are often zinc deficient. With age, as the metabolic functions decline along with everything else, it is normal for blood sugar levels to creep up some.
2. Illnesses. The immune system can cause lasting autoimmune issues that may cause diabetes after an illness. Diabetes has almost always and autoimmune component. Pregnant women often get usually transient diabetes. Just because you don't know you have had an illness doesn't mean you didn't have one. It could have been an unnoticed mild kidney infection or whatnot.
3. Lifestyle. Nutrition, exercise, stress, and sleep. The info is out there and a diabetes educator/nutritionist is a great resource. I would stay away from any source of information that is monetized, monetizing, or selling a service or product.
Contributing factors. Certain medications: Some medications have been implicated in contributing to diabetes by raising blood sugar levels. Unfortunately, some of those drugs are regularly prescribed to diabetics because of the comorbidities they tend to have (CVD, CKD), for example, statins. One should at least gauge the risks/benefits of taking such medications.
The problems with diabetes extend to the comorbidities that come along with it. CVD, CKD, increased cancer risk, risk of vision loss, neurological damage, dementia, poor perfusion leading to ulceration, gangrene, and amputation.
So my regular doctor referred me to both an integrated medicine doctor and endocrinologist. No appointment yet with either. The integrated medicine doctor will probably want to suggest supplements (bought from them). Maybe I am looking for an easy solution when then real answer since I have done a lot of diet modifications is to get out there and exercise, loose the weight which will hopefully get the insulin, blood glucose and blood pressure where they should be.
