New Research on Insulin Resistance
Research at Duke University Medical Center believe that insulin resistance, which precedes type 2 diabetes, may stem from a “metabolic traffic jam” that blocks the body’s ability to switch between glucose and fat as energy sources.
Normal blood glucose (sugar) control depends on insulin, a hormone that’s released after eating that stimulates sugar uptake in muscles and other parts of the body. Insulin resistance develops when the body no longer responds to insulin’s signals. Scientists have been studying the disorder for years, but have not been able to agree upon its cause.
But Debbie Muoio, an assistant professor of medicine in Duke’s Sarah W. Stedman Nutrition and Metabolism Center thinks she may have a pretty good idea. She and her colleagues trace the development of insulin resistance to overworked mitochondria – the tiny power plants inside each cell – that simply get worn down and worn out trying to burn excess fat.
Normally, the body switches fuel sources during the day, says Muoio, a phenomenon known as “metabolic flexibility.”
“For example, overnight and during periods of fasting or exercise, muscles and other organs in the body burn fat as fuel. That’s because there is usually more fat available at that time. But during the day, and especially after a meal, mitochondria switch to glucose,” she says. This makes sense, because food makes more glucose available and healthy individuals increase glucose use when it’s on hand. But there’s the hitch: If the diet is consistently too rich in fat and calories, the switchover does not occur. The mitochondria just keep working harder and harder to burn all the fat, and the effort eventually fails.
This is what leads to a “metabolic traffic jam,” – a mitochondrial gridlock where fat accumulates and blocks the use, or metabolism, of glucose. Muoio believes that chronically stressed mitochondria send out a distress signal that prevents insulin from doing its job, allowing sugar to build up in the blood.
There is some good news in all of this, though, says Muoio. “There are two very easy ways to prevent insulin resistance: Exercise more – you’ll help mitochondria burn fat more effectively, or eat less fat in your diet.”
Reference: Duke University Medical Center
Sphere It388 views
Related posts:
- Sugary Drinks May Lead to Weight Gain
- Snorting Insulin May Decrease Food Intake in Men and Improve Memory in Women
- Post Workout Nutrition
Did you enjoy this post? Why not leave a comment below and continue the conversation, or subscribe to my feed and get articles like this delivered automatically each day to your feed reader.
No comments yet.
Leave a comment
Line and paragraph breaks automatic, e-mail address never displayed, HTML allowed:
<a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>