By Gabe Sanders Ph.D., NSCA-CSCS
Many health professionals are frequently asked by patients and clients if exercise is the key component to overriding insulin sensitivity, or if the diet is more of a major factor?
First, insulin sensitivity indicates how responsive the body’s cells are to insulin, a hormone that responds to sugar intake and therefore will allow your body to process sugar. As a person becomes overweight, their body becomes less responsive to ingesting sugar and carbohydrates. The science is unclear as to why this occurs, but there is little doubt if it has to do with excessive fat cells and larger fat cells in the body.
Exercise and eat less sugar
Currently, the best prescription and advice for people who are insulin resistant is to exercise and eat fewer carbohydrates (sugar) with the goal of losing weight. Some scientists argue that a person’s weight is not a primary factor, but exercise and becoming more fit can alter your cells' response to insulin and sugar intake more than losing weight.
The issue for many insulin-sensitive people is that if they continue to ingest sugar and other carbohydrates, they might gain weight despite low caloric intake, they may feel sick or feel frequent upset stomachs after eating, etc. These symptoms will still occur despite exercise and it may even disrupt the quality of exercise as well.
From experience, I can attest that while exercise is important in all people, exercise may take a back seat to a proper ketogenic diet or low carbohydrate diet that is aimed to produce long-term weight loss and improve insulin sensitivity. Exercise does not appear to be able to “force” the cells to adjust, instead, the absence of sugar and poor quality carbohydrates, over time combined with a size reduction of fat cells due to weight loss, can slowly improve insulin sensitivity.
It’s about what you eat or don't eat!
I have worked with active, healthy people who have insulin sensitivity and their symptoms did not improve until they overhauled their diet with a ketogenic diet and lost 15-20 pounds of body fat.
In the end, keep exercising and make that part of your life, regardless of age, health, or circumstances and it is advisable to adopt a low carbohydrate diet and always avoid sugar in large quantities.
* Consult with a physician and/or healthcare provider for medical advice regarding your metabolic status- (diabetic)
Article’s Sources
Kinzig, Kimberly P., Mary Ann Honors, and Sara L. Hargrave. “Insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance are altered by maintenance on a ketogenic diet.” Endocrinology 151.7 (2010): 3105-3114
Newman JC, Verdin E. β-hydroxybutyrate: Much more than a metabolite. Diabetes Res Clin Pract. 2014; 106(2):173-181.
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