Is Insulin Resistance To Blame For Weight Gain

Is Insulin Resistance to Blame for Weight Gain?

Dawn (00:00):

Hello and welcome to the Gastric Health Show. My name is Dawn Boxell, and I have been a Registered Dietitian for over 25 years with the majority of my whole career has been in bariatrics. And outside of a couple of years in Renal where I worked at a dialysis center. But additionally, during that time I also continued bariatric support groups. So I have pretty much continued my whole career having been involved in bariatrics in some way.

Dawn (00:38):

So this is something that I have a lot of passion about and I have the privilege of working with tens of thousands of bariatric patients. Up until last year I worked at a bariatric center, a very large bariatric center, and had literally 20, almost 23,000 patients that we had and counseled for a couple of decades. So I have learned a lot, and I don’t practice as I did when I first became a bariatric Dietitian.

Dawn (01:23):

That wasn’t even a thing back in the nineties to be a bariatric Dietitian. It was not a specialty and it was not something that I was trained in. It was something that you learned through the ropes by experiencing just lots of patient volume that you really learned and adapted and adjusted throughout the time. So this week we are jumping kind of back into insulin and I want to had recently covered this topic, one aspect of it, and I really wanted to dive in a little bit deeper and just kind of explore this whole issue with insulin resistance and insulin sensitivity and the importance of it and why it matters when it comes to your weight.

Dawn (02:26):

And this week’s title is Insulin Resistance to Blame for Weight Gain. So we’ll kind of dig into this and kind of get maybe a new perspective, hopefully not new. I do think with the changes that people are experiencing in healthcare, I think there is more of an awareness around this and I think that more physicians are willing to do some of this testing and

Dawn (02:58):

Evaluation. So we’ll kind of dig into this and I will tell you if you follow me long enough that I’m all about optimizing and really supporting you at optimal levels depending on, of course, your genetics play in that role and just how you feel, just hearing how you feel. But translating that into how can I optimize how this person feels right now in the middle of it? Because if you know need to exercise to get your blood sugar down and your insulin level better, but you have no energy and no motivation, then we need to explore how can we improve that?

Dawn (03:44):

So optimizing that, how can we optimize your motivation and your energy so that you have the ability to build that into your daily routine? So again, I’ll talk about optimal levels. I’ll dig into what’s considered average and normal, but then dive into some of the optimal things and then also talk about food, what types of foods and diets are seen to help improve insulin resistance and that can support a healthy body weight and prevent weight gain.

Dawn (04:25):

So we’ll dig into this and hopefully you’ll maybe have some talking points with your physician or your bariatric team. Now, I will tell you in my experience, this was lacking in the bariatric lab draws. This was not something that was ever looked at. We were not routinely checking these levels of insulin and we were not really responsible or not. It was not something that we were going to check or draw your hemoglobin a1c or that three month snapshot of what your blood sugar has been doing.

Dawn (05:07):

So again, I think as you dig into you as a person and you work with practitioners like myself who can help you maybe dial this in a little bit better and know which way to take this, you’ll have some talking points with your physician and know where you need to go next. So let’s get started. Is insulin resistance to blame for weight gain.

Dawn (05:36):

Now, I’m sure many of you have felt this way currently or in the past where you just can’t lose weight no matter what you do and maybe you’ve noticed that you gain weight more easily and even following like a healthy diet and regular exercise. So maybe you are making good food choices and you’re moving your body, but yet you don’t see that you’re getting the results and you don’t feel like you’re able to maintain a normal weight like you used to be able to. So you could be experiencing insulin resistance or fluctuations in your insulin, which results in chronically high insulin levels in the blood due to a decreased response to insulin.

What is insulin and how does it work?

Dawn (06:27):

So we’re going to discuss insulin resistance and how it contributes to weight gain and how it can be addressed. So what is insulin and how does it work? Insulin is a hormone that helps your body regulate blood sugar levels and when your blood sugar levels rise, so we eat food and your naturally your blood sugars are supposed to increase and then within an hour and a half, two hours it should start coming back down.

Dawn (06:59):

So those are normal reactions and not concerning. So everyone is going to experience that because that’s how it’s intended. But what happens is as that rises and then an hour and a half, two hours later, it’s supposed to be coming back down when it’s coming back down, it’s because of insulin doing its job and it’s able to kind of insulin’s. Think of as a cruise ship director where insulin kind of says, Hey, glucose, come over here.

Dawn (07:27):

I want you in this room and then I want you in this room and you in that room and putting it away into all of our cells and muscles and liver and storage places or utilizing it for energy right then. So regardless, insulin has some important roles, but if your insulin is not responding or you are insulin resistance, then you won’t be your insulin levels or your blood sugar levels won’t be coming back down.

Normal Insulin Levels

Dawn (08:02):

After that rise, it will continue to stay elevated, which then leads to diabetes. So that’s kind of the nutshell of how insulin is supposed to work. So what is insulin resistance? Insulin resistance is a condition where the body cells become insensitive to insulin, so it’s no longer going to respond as it should. In what happens is this leads to high insulin levels in the blood, and this can result in various metabolic abnormalities like impaired glucose tolerance, dyslipidemia.

Dawn (08:44):

So think of your cholesterol, your ldl, hdl, all of those lipid profiles, all of those are going to be affected. Also, hypertension and increased heart disease and diabetes risk and several factors can contribute to insulin resistance like your genetics having obesity already. So if you’ve corrected that, that’s great, you’re likely in a better place. But if you have some of the genetics, it might make it more difficult because of your history.

Fasting insulin levels

Dawn (09:28):

Also, physical inactivity, poor sleep and certain medications can all factor into what that insulin level does. And additionally, processed carbohydrates, sugars, fats, they all impair insulin sensitivity and increase insulin resistance. So what are normal insulin levels and normal insulin levels is ascension to determine whether or not you have insulin resistance. So a person’s insulin levels vary according to whether or not they have eaten recently. And a fasting insulin level. So say you fasted overnight, went to your doctor, had a fasting insulin level, that is kind of the gold standard of evaluating your insulin and what it is doing.

Dawn (10:21):

So a fasti, you would always want it to be a fasting level and are used. These fasting insulin levels are used to assess insulin resistance and sensitivity after an overnight fast. And according to the American Diabetes Association, normal fasting insulin levels are as follows, adults should have less than 25 micro IUs per milliliter, and children in adolescents should have less than 20 micro IUs per milliliter.

Dawn (10:54):

So let’s just think of the numbers. So you want it to be less than 25 for an adult, and then children and adolescents should be less than 20. Other sources, however, have recommended that your levels should be below 10. And here’s the thing, having a fasting insulin level between 10 to 25 for some individuals may make weight gain super easy and weight loss difficult. And if you follow me long enough, you know that I’m all about optimization because again, the genetic piece, and I will say again and again that this is where I changed as a practitioner truly understanding the power of genetics.

Dawn (11:50):

and the interplay between all these different genes that are influencing your ability to maintain health healthy levels. So if I have someone, I mean there are over 19 different genetic SNPs that influence your glucose and insulin regulation. If you are an individual who has several of those and your insulin levels, your fasting insulin is elevated, your fasting blood glucose is elevated, your hemoglobin A1C is elevated, your body is not responding well to how you are eating, sleeping, moving your body and stress.

Dawn (12:40):

And it could be driven because just from those different genetic patterns that you have, making it more difficult for you actually easily attain norma levels. So this is where I want you have to think out of the box because I will say counseling so many thousand tens of thousands of people, you see that there’s no one formula that seems to work for everyone. And especially when it comes to weight especially, and this is where for me, I feel like the personalization with the genetic test really just optimizes the ability to really translate it into actionable steps for you.

Dawn (13:40):

Because as practitioners, your Registered Dietitian, your primary care doctor, your bariatric surgeon, any ologist, if you see a gastroenterologist, a cardiologist, any of us would be utilizing without genetics, you would be utilizing just broad basic approaches. So you would be offering things that in research has been shown to be a good performer in results.

Dawn (14:17):

So to me, this is where the genetics just shine and it allows you. To really personalize and really hone in on what’s going to work best for you because maybe you can’t maintain at a insulin. A fasting insulin of 20 without having weight problems in diabetes where you need diabetic medication or you need blood pressure medication or you need name it, some type of heart medication. All of these things to me, I look through the lens of prevention and protecting you from getting into those arenas.

Optimal insulin levels

Dawn (15:10):

So if we can tweak back your insulin, your fasting insulin to 10 or less and you don’t need blood pressure meds and you don’t need any diabetes medication, to me that is the optimal goal that we’re trying to optimize your body with the least restrictive way. And so again, I think you have to think optimal ti at times, and I think that’s the missing piece because we didn’t have the genetics to even reference to decades ago, but now we do.

Dawn (15:53):

So the more that healthcare connects these dots and starts utilizing these, this genetic information will make it so much easier on you as a person, as an individual, as a patient, because we’re no longer just providing recommendations for mass populations. We are providing recommendations that is only for you, that may likely only work for you. So again, I think this is where you have to consider that there are people who will need more optimization of that in fasting insulin level.

Dawn (16:41):

and you can’t follow the standard reference range without having problems with your blood sugar or your weight or your blood pressure or other health conditions. So what are some optimal insulin levels? And to date, there is no scientific consensus on an optimal insulin level. But again, some believe that keeping it under 10 is going to be optimal. And to me, this is the genetic piece.

Dawn (17:17):

And that’s where if I have somebody, if they have the majority of these 19 genetic SNPs, that the odds are stacked against them, that we’re really going to struggle with maintaining a healthy insulin level, that we have to tweak things in a way that helps maximize as much as possible, or it gives me information to know that, hey, if I get this person to 25, this may be the best we’re doing and that’s okay and to not be concerned about an insulin of 25 because it’s a normal reference range.

Weight Gain and Insulin Resistance

Dawn (17:59):

again, I think it goes back to the individual and what’s what’s occurring? Are they having issues with their weight and their blood sugar and their blood pressure and their heart? Then we might have to push further. So that’s again, the genetic piece is to me, the missing link that can really, really drive better results for anyone.

Dawn (18:23):

For example, glucose and insulin balance begin at the genetic level, and there are seven genetic glucose and insulin influencers. So you can have pancreatic dysfunction, pro-inflammatory fat and inflammation, glucose and triglyceride clearance from the blood, obesity, sedentary lifestyle. Your muscle mass and your liver can all influence how well you’re able to attain a healthy insulin level. So even to get to that 25 and under or any to me, anywhere between that 10 to 25 is all going to be determined on the genetics that are at play with all of these factors, your pancreas, inflammation, glucose and triglycerides.

Dawn (19:16):

your history of obesity, or if you currently have obesity, your sedentary lifestyle, your muscle mass and your liver, all those are going to influence how well that plays out. And combinations of certain genes in each of these determine where your insulin may normally hang out, requiring kind of a different approach just to bring your blood glucose and insulin level to acceptable ranges that will prevent issues with weight gain.

Fasting insulin can detect early signs of insulin resistance

Dawn (19:44):

Additionally, we know a fasting insulin can detect early signs of insulin resistance. So regular monitoring is useful for catching dysregulation in your metabolic markers. So again, this is something that traditionally this has not been a target lab for most healthcare centers or providers. It’s never been one that has been monitored. And that’s where you have to kind of think, okay, well how can I help myself? I can advocate for just checking this level to see where I land because without checking. You really don’t know, and it’s good to at least annually know where your insulin is. And if it is elevated, say above 25, then having it checked regularly more than once a year is better so that you can work on changing that outcome.

Dawn (20:49):

There is some research that shows a fasting insulin greater than seven as being associated with a significant increase in future risk of metabolic syndrome and type two diabetes. So here we’re even surpassing the 10 mark. So we’re saying once you hit a seven on your fasting insulin, the research shows us that you significantly increase your risk of metabolic syndrome and type two diabetes. And I’m just going to take this back to personal for myself with doing a CGM because this continuous glucose monitor for me, I was seeing the trends once I got out denial.

Dawn (21:34):

And if you’ve listened to other podcasts from me, I was in denial of this as this began. My fasting glucose began to be a problem in 2021 and continued to rise and stay elevated to date. And so that is when I, even though now my A1C is not elevated in pre-diabetes range and my insulin is not elevated above the seven, but they were trending up.

Genetic SNPs that regulate insulin and glucose

Dawn (22:07):

So I have these genetic SNPs that regulate insulin and glucose. So I know that I have to stay on top of this. I know that this is an area that if I can keep in a safer range, the likelihood of me developing these are lower. So that is where the CGM came into play. That gave me information and real time feedback, like immediate feedback of what is truly happening when sticking your finger or pricking your finger with a glucometer may have missed some of those. So I’m not opposed to any glucometer, not at all.

Dawn (22:52):

But again, I think the continuous glucose monitors sometimes better at detecting things with fluctuations. So if we know that an insulin above seven a, fasting insulin above seven has an increased risk for future metabolic syndrome and type two diabetes, some people may have better outcomes by tightening up that reference range to having their fast fasting insulin between two and five.

Dawn (23:25):

So again, this is personal. This is not blanket for everyone. This is not necessary for everyone. And this is where working with practitioners like myself can be helpful to help optimize what you truly need. Dialing in the genetics and dialing in with a CGM on what’s truly happening on a daily basis. Even if you did it for a month, I think it would provide you feedback. You can chat with your insurance. The freestyle Libra is one that they offer a free 14 day trial. So if you’re curious and you’re unsure, step one, I would say ask your doctor for your fasting insulin first and then make sure you know where your fasting glucose and your A1C is.

Dawn (24:19):

if any of those are in pre-diabetes range, any of ’em you’re fasting, your insulin, your a1c, if they’re any of them in the pre-diabetes range, a freestyle Libra might be a good idea for even two weeks to just evaluate and get feedback so that you can make better informed decisions with your food, your stress, your sleep, and your activity.

Dawn (24:49):

That is, I would tell you very, those factors are going to influence those numbers. So making sure that you are working with someone during that time. And that’s where if you’re a gastric health member working with this a cgm, there’s ways that we can do that together and work through that and see how well your body is performing. So weight gain and insulin resistance, high insulin levels such as those associated with insulin resistance. So think of greater than 25.

Insulin resistance signal the body to store glucose instead of burning fat for energy

Dawn (25:27):

We’re going to keep it at just the normal. We’re going to talk about just the normal, not even just the optimal, but personally. I would say that anybody that’s in between that 10 to 25 could fall in this category if you have the right genetics. So high insulin levels are such as those associated with insulin resistance signal the body to store glucose instead of burning fat for energy.

Dawn (25:53):

This is because insulin promotes glycogen, which is your stored sugar and promotes glycogen uptake and storage by cells, particularly fat cells, by inhibiting fat breakdown and to be used by your muscles and other tissues. So basically we’re saying that insulin promotes storage of glucose and kind of locks them away. So when your body needs energy, it won’t tap into those fat stores. Whenever those insulin, those fasting insulin levels are above 25, then you’re going to be at risk for those fat cells kind of being locked away and not being burned as fuel.

Dawn (26:46):

So this is where weight gain is compounded further. So you’re going to struggle more with gaining weight with a high insulin level, and you’re going to be weight loss resistant when those insulin levels are elevated. Additionally, high insulin levels can promote fat storage and insulin resistance as they make cells desensitized to insulin.

Dawn (27:14):

Over time, in response to the reduced response of the cells, the body produces even more insulin resulting in even higher insulin levels and worsen insulin resistance. So because we’re not able, because your blood sugar is continuing to remain high because that insulin is not able or not capable of doing anything about that elevated blood, blood sugar. Then your body produces more insulin to help again try to lower that. So high insulin levels can contribute to weight gain by increasing hunger and cravings for those carb, carb type foods, those carb rich foods.

what are the studies linked to insulin resistance and weight gain?

Dawn (27:58):

And this is because insulin stimulates the production of the neurotransmitters that regulate your appetite and mood. Now, what are the studies linked to insulin resistance and weight gain? Say there have been several studies showing that insulin promotes fat storage. So we know that this is an issue. This is the action that occurs with high levels of insulin.

Dawn (28:22):

Glucose is stored and fat storage kind of increases. And the Journal of Obesity published a study in which healthy volunteers burned less fat. And more carbohydrates as energy when their insulin levels were elevated, indicating the body perver preferred glucose over fat as a fuel source. Another study found that high insulin levels reduced fat availability for energy by inhibiting the release of fatty acids from the VA cells. So kind of like what we were saying earlier, it, the blood sugar, those blood glucose gets stored in the fat and it locks them away to not be used as energy.

Dawn (29:04):

So maintaining normal insulin levels is crucial to promoting fat metabolism and preventing fat storage. So if you truly want to lose your fat mass and not muscle, not just weight but actual fat mass, you have to look at insulin levels. You have to know where you fall on that to know if this is a contributor.

what about diet and insulin resistance?

Dawn (29:29):

And once you have that ruled out, you know where to go next. So what about diet and insulin resistance? So there is there a specific diet one should follow with insulin resistance or to prevent it from occurring. And again, to me, this is very individual as some may require a tight regulated low carb diet. Where others will benefit from including more carbohydrates. And maybe more specific carbohydrates, I should say. And this is why personalization is beneficial and why I find the genetic test to be so helpful because just saying everyone with insulin resistance or everyone with a high insulin level should follow a very low carb or ketogenic diet is unnecessary and kind of misleading.

Dawn (30:22):

So I think I would say however, that most practitioners would agree that to improve insulin levels will require consuming fewer carbs. I think it’s crucial to kind of understand that it doesn’t mean no carbs or mean you have to be on a keto diet.

Dawn (30:44):

So this is where you have to work with a practitioner that can truly help dial this in for you. There are studies that show there are foods that can play a big role in preventing and resolving insulin and resistance. And I will tell you some of these you may be surprised with because one is plant-based foods and one study suggested that a diet high-end protein without adequate plant-based foods may contribute to insulin resistance. Although this is an animal study, the research found that the mice fed a 90% animal protein and 10% plant protein diet had higher insulin resistance than the mice fed a 50% animal protein and 50% plant protein diet.

Plant-based foods

Dawn (31:41):

To me, this would also, I would want to factor in the genetic piece to understand more personally what we would see with certain genetic SNPs. But according to this study, the insulin resistance may be associated with excess animal protein intake without adequate intake of plant-based foods.

Dawn (32:07):

The study highlighted the importance of a balanced diet with plant-based nutrition to prevent insulin resistance. So again, I think you have to dial this in personally because I know of people who this would totally not work with and we would have to be very careful on the specific plants they used and before that would actually work well for them. So let’s kind of have a conversation about the bariatric high protein, low carb diet most follow, although I do believe many will have better success following this style of eating.

Dawn (32:50):

I don’t think that it has to be a very low carb diet. So 20 to 50 grams of carbs that most patients need to follow. Bariatric patients are at risk for insulin resistance due to their higher risk of obesity and related conditions. But after bariatric surgery, many patients prioritize protein intake and do not consume enough plant-based foods.

Dawn (33:17):

In fact, many are notorious for filling up on a lot of meat and cheese and then having no space for any types of plants or carbs or I should say maybe plants. But they seem to find space for usually because of the ease of, or maybe the ease of digesting and consuming. But also the convenience of the protein shakes and bars and protein chips that are out there. Unfortunately, all of those are lacking in fiber and other nutrients, but yet they are helping you hit your protein goal, which has been beaten into you as a bariatric patient that this is the most important thing to consider.

Dawn (34:07):

And although I agree we need to prioritize protein, I disagree that we have the same percentages for every person, and I think this is where personalization would help and allow you more food freedom and allow you to have a better relationship with food because you’re not going to be so restrictive in certain areas.

Mediterranean or low-carb diet

Dawn (34:30):

So again, I think it is something that you have to consider as a bariatric patient. You have to evaluate and ask yourself, how many types of plants do I consume in a day? So this is one study. This is one example. So by no means is this end all be all, but there is another study, the Mediterranean diet, the Mediterranean or low carb diet. These were evaluated as well in research. And the Mediterranean and low carb diets are effective in reversing insulin resistance in several studies.

Dawn (35:07):

So I do continually find, which I would say to date really the Mediterranean diet has been the only diet that some health professionals. And researchers and scientists have found to be applicable to mass populations. So I’m not surprised by this. So a study found that a Mediterranean diet low in carbs and high in fat, improved insulin sensitivity and reduced in inflammation markers in obese adults.

Dawn (35:41):

And you have to remember that you can’t just hone in on the low in carbs and high-end fat because a Mediterranean diet is very specific in certain foods. So it is not just about being low in carbs and high-end fat, it is about what is composed in those carbs and fats, where are they coming from? So similarly, another study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism found that people with type two diabetes who ate a low carb diet in improve had improved insulin sensitivity and glucose control diets

Dawn (36:20):

containing 14% carbs, 28% protein, and 58% fat led to significant improvements in hemoglobin A1C levels. A long-term blood sugar marker, which you are aware of. The researchers suggest that switching to a low carb or a Mediterranean diet may benefit people with insulin resistance. Again, more evidence for personalization. However, dietary requirements vary from person to person.

Prebiotic and Fiber

Dawn (36:50):

So before making any changes, just because you listen to this podcast or watch this YouTube video, please consult a healthcare professional like myself for guidance. The next ones are prebiotics and fiber. So studies have shown that consuming prebiotic fibers. So of course these are going to be coming from plants and overall fiber, and when you include it with probiotics, can reduce insulin resistance. Prebiotic fiber is just non-digestible fibers that help promote the growth of beneficial gut bacteria. So think of prebiotics as the food for your probiotics.

Dawn (37:35):

So taking probiotics for most people, not a hundred percent of you who if you have digestive issues. You may not tolerate prebiotics, especially if you have small intestinal bacterial overgrowth. This would be contraindicated in loading up on a bunch of prebiotic fibers. So several prebiotic fibers have been found to reduce insulin resistance and improve insulin sensitivity, including inulin and fructose oligosaccharides.

Dawn (38:09):

Further studies have shown that adequate fiber intake helps control blood sugar levels and insulin sensitivity. Evidence shows that high higher fiber intake reduces the risk of type two diabetes and improves glycemic control. And additionally, probiotics which are live bacteria that confer health benefits have been linked to improved insulin sensitivity. Glucose metabolism, therefore consuming foods rich in prebiotic fibers, and then just fiber in general. And probiotics can support metabolic health and reduce insulin resistance. Awesome.

Dawn (38:44):

to me, those are just no-brainers. And I would say our ultimate gut restore is probably not, probably it is our bad best probiotic that and most popular probiotic that does just this. It has a very easily digestible prebiotic fiber included in it. But I also include, I encourage you to consume prebiotic fibrous foods when you take a probiotic like our ultimate Gut restore. So if you haven’t checked that out, I would encourage you to check it out.

Uric Acid and Insulin Resistance

Dawn (39:22):

It again is a great probiotic to consider. The next is uric acid and insulin resistance. A study suggests that uric acid may contribute to insulin resistance as well. The kidneys normally excrete uric acid, but inflammation and insulin resistant can result if levels are high. So if your uric acid level is elevates, then you will likely have issues with inflammation and insulin resistance. So again, this is a good marker that your physician could easily check. Just check those uric acid levels and make sure they’re in normal reference ranges.

Dawn (40:04):

If your uric acid levels are elevates, avoiding foods high in purine and limiting alcohol consumption can help you reduce uric acid levels. Some lifestyle factors in insulin resistance, so lifestyle factors like poor sleep, lack of exercise. And additionally kind of like season of life, things like menopause can also contribute to insulin resistance and weight gain. And here’s a review kind of each of these factors. So poor sleep studies have shown that people with poor sleep have increased insulin resistance, glucose intolerance, and increased risk for type two diabetes.

Poor Sleep

Dawn (40:44):

And then additionally, research suggests that short sleep duration, poor sleep quality and sleep disordered breathing affect glucose metabolism and hormone regulation contributing to insulin resistance. This is a really big one, and this is something that you cannot ignore if you have elevated fasting insulin. You have to monitor your sleep and work on it, work on improving it, and if you have sleep disordered, you know breathing where maybe you need a C-PAP or BiPAP machine, again, dial this in.

Exercise

Dawn (41:30):

Work with your provider on making sure the settings are correct because this is an important piece in having healthy insulin and blood glucose numbers. The next is exercise. And this is probably at no surprise to you that exercise and physical activity have a number of health benefits, including improved insulin sensitivity. Lower blood glucose levels in improved metabolic health exercise increases the glucose transporter type four or the glute four expression in your muscles, which also increases insulin sensitivity.

Time-Restricted Feeding(TRF):

Dawn (42:08):

So again, the more you are moving your body and using your muscles and prioritizing your muscles will improve insulin signaling and make you more insulin sensitive, which is good. You want to be more insulin sensitive. The next is time-restrict feeding. Or as most noted has intermittent fasting and it has become very popular for improving insulin resistance and metabolic health. And studies have shown that time restricted feeding can help reduce inflammation, increase insulin sensitivity, and promote weight loss, especially when combined with an exercise program that promotes weight loss.

Dawn (42:50):

So not the end all be all. I, again, I am neutral on these types of approaches with intermittent fasting, ketogenic diets. Just the numerous things out there to me. I want you to be the least restrictive as possible and it needs to be sustainable. So to me, this is where I need genetics before I really want to tap into a bunch of fasting without understanding how your body’s going to respond. And if we could do this without having to restrict. So again, restricting is again, time-restricted feedings or intermittent fasting.

Dawn (43:38):

I’m not against. I think it’s just an approach that can work for some but not work for everyone. The last one is menopause. And menopause is just kind of that change in a female’s life with hormones. That actually increase insulin resistance and the risk of metabolic disorders like type two diabetes. So as you transition into menopause, you truly increase your risks for diabetes and insulin resistance.

Menopause

Dawn (44:14):

And I personally have experienced this and understand this firsthand that genetically. I was predis disposition for this and I did not have the genetics kind of. Or I got it right after, I think before I started transitioning. And I had applied some of these things sooner. I think some of my experience would’ve been way different. But in menopause, women should maintain a healthy weight exercise regularly and eat fiber rich and plant-based foods. And the last one is menopause. And menopause is really that transition of hormones in a female’s life that no one is avoiding.

Dawn (45:03):

There’s no way out of this you have to go through this. And the unfortunate thing is this is where you become more insulin resistant. And you become a higher risk for type two diabetes. So this is where, you know, have to dial this in. And I can say from firsthand experience it understanding my genetics. And knowing that that can kind of turn that on and knowing that I had that genetic connection, that this piece could be a problem.

Dawn (45:39):

And with seeing my pre-diabetes, fasting glucose becoming a problem and consistent and not changing. I knew that I had to make changes and I knew I needed to approach my diet. And my lifestyle differently than I had the majority of my life. And that was okay once I got out of denial and got to the point. Where I was prepare and ready to do something about it. Because let’s face it, not always do we want to do something about it. And to me there’s nothing wrong with that. But we know that menopause creates this. So perimenopause is where it all begins. And then menopause at where it continues and where you will likely land. With insulin resistance or type two diabetes if you do nothing about it.

Dawn (46:31):

So if you aren’t proactive and in a preventive mindset. You are likely going to struggle with that once you get into menopause. Or even maybe it might begin in perimenopause for some people. So again, you have to look at how can I approach menopause. And how can I protect myself from this natural occurring phenomenon that occurs with menopause of becoming insulin resistant? What can I do? And that’s where maintaining a healthy weight, exercising regularly. Eating fiber-rich and plant-based foods can all play a great role in preventing complications from this occurring. So let’s wrap this up. A person with insulin resistance may gain weight and have difficulty losing weight.

Conclusion

Dawn (47:28):

Therefore, preventing and resolving insulin resistance can aid in improving insulin sensitivity while achieving a healthy weight. And you can control insulin and resistance and lose weight by eating a balanced diet. Consuming adequate fiber, reducing uric acid levels, and maintaining just a healthy overall lifestyle. So we’ve covered a lot and I hope it makes sense. I hope you have a better understanding and maybe some talking points to your doctor on what can I do? How can I do something about where am I fasting?

Dawn (48:07):

Insulin is first, get it check second, make sure it’s under 25. Then evaluate, okay, am I having trouble with cravings? Am I having problems with weight gain,? Am I having elevated blood fasting, blood glucose and hemoglobin a1c? and Am I having blood pressure issues or am I needing diabetic medications? Or maybe some heart issues? Am I having, am I, are some red flags showing up in my health?

Dawn (48:42):

If you can answer yes to that, get that insulin level checked. And then, okay, if I need this in, if I’m above 25 first, let’s get it between 10 and 25. Reevaluate, do I need to go lower? Am I better if I’m at a 20? Am I better if I’m at a 15? Where is the sweet spot for myself so that I prevent disease states and put myself in a position. Where I can manage my health without needing a ton of medications to make that happen? So once you know that, I mean you have the information you need to move forward and make changes.

Dawn (49:28):

So again, check out our gastric health membership. This is the place where you can get the insight and the resources you need to stay informed, make changes. And grow the confidence you need to do the things you want to do in life by just correcting. And improving some of the levels that you currently experience. So I hope this has helped you guys. Have a great week and we’ll see you next time. Bye-bye.

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