Engaging GLUT 4 proteins….
It was a few years ago when I discovered the reason how exercise helps people who are insulin resistant. This may be just one reason, but I think it is a gem! If you have been diagnosed with insulin resistance you may find some use for what I am about to share.
I am enthusiastic about this because it is one of my favourite subjects because it is simple, and people can take responsibility themselves.
Insulin resistance is where circulating insulin no longer has an effect on the cell. This is either because it does not bind to the cell [if the cell has downregulated the receptors resulting a decrease in sensitivity to insulin], or it binds but its effects are deficient and the nutrients, including glucose, are not adequately cleared from the blood. If the blood glucose level is not reduced, then the pancreas will continue to secrete more insulin leading to higher levels of insulin in the blood. The pancreas will continue to secrete more and more insulin until all nutrients are cleared from the blood.
A sudden rush of glucose in the blood from refined carbohydrates needs to be removed and delivered to all tissues and cells throughout the body to be used for energy. But glucose can’t just flow into the cell, it has to be ‘guided in’ by insulin, which will have been secreted by the pancreas for just this task. So, in the blood there will be a sudden spike in glucose, closely followed by a spike in insulin.
When we used to eat just three meals a day and let our digestive system rest in between, insulin levels would be nicely adjusted to deal with the amount of carbohydrates that were eaten. However, on the modern Western diet, we not only eat high glycaemic foods [refined flours and sugars] which send our blood glucose very high, but we are tending to snack and eat on and off all day long and into the night. This not only sends our insulin levels into spikes, but it means that the pancreas has to continually pump out high levels of insulin [which is irritant and inflammatory] in its effort to rid the blood of the high levels of sugar [which is irritant and inflammatory].
If the situation of constant high levels of insulin battering cells becomes constant over time, then it will eventually lead to a state of insulin resistance, because the receptors have become so overworked they cannot cope and have given up…
And this means that glucose can’t get into enough cells meaning;
- There is too much glucose in the bloodstream [which causes problems]
- There is not enough glucose going into the cells [which cause problems]
But problems aside – what can you do if a large proportion of certain cells have become non-reactive to insulin?
Exercise!
Why?
Because in your skeletal muscle cells there is a protein that can act independently from insulin to get glucose out of the blood and into the cell. It is called GLUT 4. It is somewhat impaired in insulin resistance, but can be activated by exercise making exercise a key strategy to combat insulin resistance.
There is a complicated explanation as to how this happens on a molecular level, but the good news is even after exercise, GLUT4 remains active for several hours, improving glucose control even post-workout.
There’s more…
With regular exercise, muscle cells may become more insulin-sensitive. This indicates that you could use exercise to combat insulin resistance in combination with the reduction of refined carbohydrates.
The only slight problem for me as it seems like the exercise has to be more strenuous than just a stroll around the park. So, this weekend I am buying a bike – rather fancy Pashley one with a basket, so I can exercise in style.
If you would like to discuss which herbs can aid recovery from insulin-resistance, and prediabetes, any many other conditions, join the HerbWorks Membership for £9.99 a month. Here you can join a live group Q&A and find guidance in learning about the use of herbs for medicine, without the feeling of overwhelm. We can discuss which herbs have use for what type of symptoms, how the different energetics of each herb can guide you to make the right choice of remedy, and how to follow the seasons by growing and picking. I look forward to seeing you there.
