Does insulin help you lose weight? Insulin is an essential hormone produced by the pancreas. Insulin plays a number of important roles in our body. It regulates blood sugar, promotes fat storage, and helps break down fats and proteins.
Role of insulin in human body
+ Maintain a stable blood sugar level in the body
When we eat, a large amount of sugar will rush into the bloodstream after the food is digested in the stomach. Insulin signals the liver, muscles, and fatty tissues to take up sugar from the blood (thus lowering blood sugar levels). When blood sugar levels drop, insulin secretion slows or stops. To protect the body from having too low blood sugar (called hypoglycemia)
+ Insulin is a key player in developing type 2 diabetes
Diabetes is often associated with insulin problems. There are two types of diabetes: Type 1 diabetes is caused by a lack of insulin produced by the pancreas. Type 2 diabetes is when the body still has insulin, but the receptors in the cells are resistant to insulin. And the result is high and uncontrolled blood sugar.
+ Weight control
In the past, you might not have been interested in insulin for weight control, but now it is. Remember, what you eat affects how much insulin your body produces. The more carbohydrates and sweets you eat, the more insulin your body produces. Over time, it leads to insulin resistance.
>>> See also: What are insulin and its function?
Does insulin help you lose weight?
We usually have two groups of friends: slim friends who seem to eat a lot without gaining weight; and obese friends who are more likely to gain weight despite eating less. The difference between these two is their insulin levels. The obese friend may have excessive insulin levels, while the slim friend may have normal or low insulin levels.
However, your slim friend will not continue to be thin if they eat a lot of carbohydrates with a high glycemic index (GI) every day. Over time, their insulin receptors will become inert, leading to insulin resistance. By then, they will gain a lot of weight due to the body storing fat.
Does insulin help you lose weight ?
+ When insulin levels are high: Insulin lowers blood sugar by absorbing excess glucose or fatty acids into a place called “fat tissue.” This fatty tissue is usually concentrated around the abdomen, hips, and thighs. Thus, insulin will help the body store fat to lower blood sugar.
+ When insulin levels are low: the body provides energy for the body to function by promoting fat burning leading to weight loss. The best way to lower insulin levels is to eat fewer carbohydrates like bread, rolls, noodles, sticky rice, rice, and sweets. When blood sugar drops because of a decrease in carbohydrates, the body doesn’t need to make as much insulin.