Insulin Levels are the Key to Everything

There's an illuminating lecture I found on YouTube assembled by pharmacist Brian Sanderoff titled "Insulin Levels are the Key to Everything" that I thought I'd quickly break down for you here. Insulin levels really are the key to everything!

-Lower levels of systemic insulin and insulin sensitivity increases your life span

-The ability to store nutrients is determined by insulin

-Low magnesium levels can be a direct result of excess insulin in the body. Low magnesium levels cause symptoms like muscle cramps, weakness, and personality changes

-When you have too many simple sugars and carbohydrates in your diet that induce high levels of insulin in your body, you retain sodium, which can lead to high blood pressure

-Insulin resistance can be prevalent in the body for decades before blood sugar actually starts to become abnormally elevated

-Elevated insulin levels cause a stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system, also known as your "fight or flight" response

-Excess insulin circulating in the body interferes with thyroid function. Elevated insulin levels hinders liver function to the point where it can't efficiently convert thyroid hormones. Many Americans currently take the prescription Synthroid, which is a synthetic version of the thyroid hormone thyroxine

-Insulin Resistance and hyperinsulinemia in the body have been implicated as a significant risk factor in the proliferation of cancer cells

-The standard fasting blood glucose test only reveals late-stage metabolic disease - an HbA1c test that determines what blood glucose has been for the past 2-3 months can be a better indicator of current metabolic dysfunction (I'd also highly recommend HOMA-IR)

-Your body really tries for you! But the constant consumption of carbohydrates, processed foods, soda, candy, etc. hits your blood stream like attackers on Normandy beach and the body defends the attack by overproducing insulin. It can only fight so many continuous battles. (There's a Muse song where Matt Bellamy is singing "This means war, with your Creator" that personally makes me think of this every time I hear it.)

-Exercise and a diet lower in carbohydrates and higher in healthy fats and green, leafy vegetables will lower insulin levels

-Chromium helps insulin to function more effectively (I recommend Brewer's Yeast tablets or powder, a natural source)