| As we age, controlling our weight becomes increasingly difficult due to the FACT that certain hormones increase with age and these hormones, unfortunately for most of us, promote weight gain. This is a fact that must be understood and not ignored. A change in lifestyle or eating habits (especially fad diets) may not show any positive results. Unsuccessful dieting can lead to an increased sense of failure which in turn can bring on depression and sometimes in the long run even more weight gain, IT IS A VICIOUS CIRCLE THAT CAN BE BROKEN! There are many reasons why we gain weight, taking away the obvious causes, we have decided to highlight the connection between insulin and fat. Insulin stimulates fat cells to take up fat and sugar from the blood and store it away as body fat, especially in the middle of the body within the abdomen and around the vital organs. Overweight people tend to have higher levels of insulin which promotes fat formation. Insulin has a hormonal partner in regulating blood sugar levels – glucagon which is also secreted by the pancreas. Glucagon levels are largely determined by the amount of incoming protein just as insulin levels are related to the levels of incoming carbohydrates. But they have opposing actions on the utilization of fat in the body. Lipoprotein lipase (LPL) transports fatty acids into fat cells and keeps them there whereas Hormone Sensitive Lipase (HSL) does the opposite by releasing fat from the cells into the blood to be ‘burned’ as fuel. Insulin stimulates LPL and inhibits HSL, glucagon inhibits LPL and stimulates HSL. Bearing in mind the main stimulant for insulin is carbohydrates and glucagons is protein, a 1985 statistic reported that the average American diet was nearly 50% carbs and only 11% protein (the remaining percentage being fat calories). This hasn’t changed for the better in recent years, in fact it is likely to be worse, concluding the American diet is the optimal diet for obesity. Syndrome X is a syndrome common among sedentary Western humans which includes conditions like insulin resistance, hyperinsulinemia, glucose intolerance, obesity, low HDL cholesterol and heart disease. The common denominators of the syndrome are hyperinsulinemia and insulin resistance. The former is the likely root cause of obesity, glucose intolerance, high triglycerides and hypertension. A consequence of obesity and/or overfeeding is the development of insulin resistance as weight is gained. Modern obese humans often suffer from hypo kinesis – too little body movement. The Western epidemic of obesity is as much due to hypo kinesis as it is excessive carbohydrate intake. We recommend the following procedures: - Seriously reduce all processed, refined, junk, high sugar and high white flour foods
- Minimise the intake of salt
- Stimulate glucagons with lean protein in the form of organic meat, poultry and fish
- Reduce carbohydrate intake, eat vegetables, millet, beans, pulses, seeds and other natural foods
- Exercise
- Check Thyroid production
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