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- Insulin…an Undeserved Bad Reputation
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A disappointing article. Insulin is made to be a strawman. You failed to mention all the things insulin does nor did you mention what also causes elevations in insulin You didn’t mention grehlin or leptin. These hormones are all just players; fats, proteins and carbs are the antagonists. You didn’t clearly state that carbohydrate storage is easy versus the the storage of protein and then fats; and insulin’s job is to store everything, and it will in the presence of carbohydrates once the liver and the muscle tissue cells have reached capacity You should stress how the players react to… Read more »
“you would eat a low protein, low carbohydrate, high fat diet. However, I don’t see anybody recommending that”
Actually it is called “a ketogenic diet” and many people used it for fat loss, including myself.
http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/the-ketogenic-diet
yep..and its supposed to be very pro inflammatory, pro autoimmune and age accelerator. And, it IS becomming highly promoted from doctors in terms of helping with withdrawal from medications, to decrease bp, HR, overall fitness etc…
Where is the highly powerful appetite suppressant effect of low-carb diets coming from then? The #1 feature of that lifestyle, to me… Thanks!
Nice read.This make sense, I learn new stuff again.thanks for expanding my knowledge about this Insulin.REALLY Good Post.
Oh boy, expanding my knowledge vastly today. So basically insulin inhibits lipolysis only immediately after the meal and then after insulin levels go down, lipolysis is turned back on. Makes sense. But I was thinking, if you eat every other hour and somehow keep insulin high all the time while still maintaining a calorie deficit (if that’s even possible), would lipolysis be inhibited and therefore fat loss stopped? Can you burn fat if your metabolism is constantly in the anabolic phase? Also, if insulin stops lipolysis then it must also stop muscle catabolism right? Why wouldn’t you want high insulin… Read more »
Great article. I definitely do not believe insulin spikes are the problem in most individuals today. I believe it has more to do with insulin resistance. Another common hormone scapegoat for fat gain is cortisol. Cortisol can create insulin resistance. From what I have studied, excessive insulin (body that is insulin resistant) mixed with excessive cortisol can promote more fat storage. Obviously your article was well researched and very well done for addressing a very specific topic. I would be curious to read a follow up article on cortisol and it’s relationship with insulin. There are obviously a ton of… Read more »
Great article! A question I have been wondering about is: does fat intake affect the insulin response? Does it lower the insulin response or does it delay the insulin response?
Thanks!
/John
Hey James,
Would it be a good idea to add Leucine to a post workout whey protein shake in order to further spike insulin levels?
IMO: If you are after muscle growth, a good strategy.
Sorry but I’ve got to say that low carb is the way for me. I’ve lost over 100 pounds (37 male 6-0 started at 295+ now at 180.6), so sorry not just water weight and for me, I am not starving all the time, even though I went 6+ months with no more than 50 g of carbs and 2000 calories (had to track calories to eat 2000, when I didn’t was hitting less), a day with 5 days a week workouts (no energy issues either so stop that excuse, if you have fat it is energy why you stored… Read more »
Tony, I wanted to write to agree with you and congratulate you on your success. I’ve lost 145 pounds in 14 months on a high fat/ low carb diet. I lost the first 100 lbs in 7 months and the other 45 lbs in another 7 months. My appetite is never out of control. I used to live on Aleve because of constant joint pain, but now I’m pain free. My HDL is up, my triglycerides are down and my blood pressure is normal again. I don’t have acid reflux or heartburn anymore. I’m 50 years old and I take… Read more »
Although your information may very well be correct, I think you should consider using more than one paper as the primary source for all your conclusions. Who did the study and for what purpose? When you find a paper that contradicts almost all other findings on the same subject I think it’s important to look closely at it. As a trainer I have had the best collective results using a 33%/33%/33% ratio of Fat/Protein/Carbs which I call an isocaloric diet. I don’t subscribe to any “diet” at all personally. My goal is always to maintain athletic performance while reducing bodyfat.… Read more »
One paper is not the primary source of all my conclusions. There are multiple links and references in this article alone.
Is that ratio by grams or by calories?