Insulin and Glucagon:

These are the primary hormones that control our metabolism.

Insulin: Is the master hormone of human metabolism. It is produced and released into the blood by the beta cells of the pancreas triggered by glucose levels in the blood and affects virtually every cell in the body. It regulates blood sugar, controls the storage of fat, directs the flow of amino acids, fatty acids and carbohydrates to the body’s tissues. It also regulates the liver’s synthesis of cholesterol, functions as a growth hormone, is involved in appetite control, drives the kidney’s to retain fluid and much, much more. This master hormone in the proper amount is essential to life. Too much of insulin however, causes enormous health problems, prevents fat burning and stores surplus calories in the fat cells. Within a few hours this may result in a shortage of nutrients in the blood, creating feelings of hunger and cravings for something sweet, leading to eating again. A vicious cycle leading to weight gain. A low carb intake keeps the blood glucose levels stable and results in lower insulin. This increases the release of fat from your fat stores and increases fat burning. This usually leads to fat loss, especially around the belly, in abdominally obese individuals.

What we eat is what makes insulin levels go haywire, hence a proper diet is the only way to solve this problem. The foods we eat exert a profound influence on what happens within our bodies hormonally – both for good and bad.

Elevated cholesterol, high glycerides, blood sugar, blood pressure and obesity, for all these the problem is excess insulin. Trying to treat the symptoms may actually even end up raising the insulin levels and thus worsening the problem. Dietary manipulation is the only effective treatment of excess insulin and the underlying causes of the diseases it leads to. Of course exercise also helps.

Research has found no statistical significant decrease in deaths from heart disease between people treated for hypertension with drugs compared to people who were not treated at all, though the drugs did help reduce deaths due to strokes.

Infact, many of the medicines prescribed such as, thiazide diuretics and beta-blockers actually increased insulin levels even as they reduced blood pressure, thus actually encouraging the real culprit, excess insulin and the resultant insulin resistance. Medications such as Ace-Inhibitors, Calcium channel blockers or Alpha agonists do not elevate insulin. Excess insulin stimulates excess cholesterol. So it is the insulin that we should seek to regulate and this can be done only by eating the proper diet the right way. In a great majority of cases, dietary control of elevated insulin levels could have eliminated both the high blood pressure and the threat of heart disease.

Glucagon: The other primary hormone is released by the alpha cells of the pancreas. It is involved in the storage and release of energy within the body and works to raise the concentration of glucose in the bloodstream. Its effect is opposite that of insulin, which lowers the glucose. Its main function is to prevent the blood sugar level from falling too low by stimulating the body to burn our stored fat. Again the release of Glucagon by the pancreas can be stimulated by allowing the blood sugar levels to fall enough.

Glucagon causes the liver to convert stored glycogen into glucose, which is released into the bloodstream. Glycogen is made and some stored in the cells of the liver and the muscles and excess is stored as fat. Glycogen functions as the secondary long-term energy storage, with the primary energy stores being fats held in adipose tissue. The amount of glycogen stored in the body – especially within the muscles, liver and red blood cells, mostly depends on physical exercise, basal metabolic rate and eating habits. Muscle glycogen is converted into glucose by muscle cells, and liver glycogen converts to glucose for use throughout the body including the central nervous system. High blood-glucose levels stimulate the release of insulin. Insulin allows glucose to be taken up and used by insulin-dependent tissues. Thus, glucagon and insulin are part of a feedback system that keeps blood glucose levels at a stable level. It increases energy expenditure and is elevated under conditions of stress.

Type-I diabetes is caused by the destruction of pancreatic beta cells through an auto immune process which results in lack of adequate insulin. In Type-II diabetes, the destruction of beta cells is less pronounced than in Type-I and is probably not due to an auto immune process. Instead there is an amyloid deposition in the pancreas leading to high rates of glucagon secretion into the blood, unaffected and unresponsive to the blood glucose levels. Insulin is still secreted into the blood, but there seems to be a ‘resistance’ to its actions, which may atleast partly, be due to the high glucagon concentration in the blood. As a result, the insulin levels, even when the blood sugar level is normal, are much higher than in healthy persons.

Our blood sugar level governs the functioning of our entire metabolic system, through the efforts of insulin and glucagon, and we can control our blood sugar level by eating the proper diet the right way. Keeping blood sugar levels in an optimum range helps maintain your body at optimal health.

Insulin also causes the kidneys to retain salt and fluid. Glucagon prompts the kidneys to get rid of fluid and the salt it contains.

Excess insulin also encourages the proliferation and growth of smooth muscle cells in the linings of our arteries that thicken the arterial walls, making them less elastic and reducing the volume inside the arteries, and thus become more prone to develop plaque and arterial spasm, the underlying causes of heart disease. Glucagon stimulates the breakdown and disappearance of the smooth muscle overgrowth in the arteries and lessens the incidence of arterial spasm. The chart below helps to compare the actions of these two master hormones more easily.

THE ROLES OF INSULIN AND GLUCAGON*

This clearly shows that getting a slightly dominant glucagon level is more beneficial to us. The food we eat affects both insulin and glucagon levels within our bodies.

The influence of Food on Insulin and Glucagon*:

*Both charts are from the book – ‘Protein Power’ by Michael R. Eades, M.D. and Marry Dan Eades, M.D.

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