Hormones are chemical compounds that regulate different processes around the body. One such hormone controlling essential processes around the body is insulin.
While it performs many different task, its salient one is helping the body convert glucose into storable form, glycogen. When body faces perpetually high levels of sugar, body produces larger quantities of insulin. This can make the cells of the body resistant to insulin.
Not only does this result in high body sugar levels, but pancreases also then continuously strive to over-secrete insulin, in a state known as hyperinsulinemia, as they sense the high sugar in the body. This overtakes the cells, depleting their insulin producing capabilities.
These factors — insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia– then lead to diabetes, a chronic ailment that requires help of the Best Internal Medicine Specialist in Islamabad for management.
Moderating insulin levels
In order to prevent diabetes, you can take steps to naturally improve insulin sensitivity. Some effective tips include:
Exercise
Your body benefits immensely from regular exercise, especially in case prediabetes and diabetes.
It helps in movement of the sugar from the blood stream to the muscles, for storage. Moreover, exercise also helps in targeting insulin sensitivity in the body.
Resistance training is especially effective for helping moderate the levels of blood sugar. Other forms of aerobic exercise, like HITT, are also beneficial in this regard.
Moderate protein intake
It is pertinent that you eat protein in moderate amounts. Since protein is required in the production of insulin, therefore, the more you eat, the more insulin is produced by the body.
Thus, exercise caution when eating protein. Try to eat protein that has little animal fat, like poultry (instead of red meat), and plant-based protein lentils, seeds. However, cut back on whey and casein proteins.
Sleep
Adults need around 7-9 hours of sleep for their body to function well. Lack of quality shuteye leads to chronic ailments like heart disease, diabetes, and problems like insulin sensitivity.
Therefore, make sure that you get ample sleep. Remedying sleep problems can effectively undo the damage sustained otherwise.
Make sure to follow sleep hygiene; go to bed at a fixed time, wake up at the same time every day. Do not eat when in bed. Try to cut back on the screen time when in bed.
Portion control
Eating too much in one sitting will naturally lead to sugar spike in the body. Body then responds by increasing the production of insulin.
Therefore, make sure to control your portion size, so you do not end up eating too many calories in one sitting.
Low-carb diet
Glucose is the basic block of carbohydrate; therefore, it is imperative that you cut back on your overall carbohydrate consumption. In this endeavor, you may find the low-carb diets helpful. These diet involve cutting back on carbs, and focusing instead on the consumption of protein and good fats.
Alongside helping with lowering blood sugar levels, low-carb diets are also effective for weight loss. As obesity is also a risk factor for diabetes, therefore the benefits offered by low-carb diet are far-reaching.
Cut back on sugar
Your sweet tooth may also be behind the insulin resistance problems. Eating too much sugar also causes a spike in the insulin levels, as the body tries to deal with the onslaught of the blood sugar levels.
It is hence vital that you cut back on the white sugar, and its products, like cakes and candies, and sweetened beverages.
Opt instead for the sugar alternatives, like the plant-based stevia, or erythritol, which may taste like sugar, but does not affect the glucose levels in the blood.
Consult a specialist
If your insulin levels are dangerously high, and your body is not getting better through lifestyle interventions alone, it is highly recommended that you seek counsel of the best Internal Medicine Specialist instead.
