THE HORMONAL CONNECTION: INSULIN RESISTANCE

While insulin's vital role in the prevention of diabetes is common knowledge, few people realize the relationship of this hormone to weight management. If you find that losing weight around the middle becomes increasingly difficult with age despite a wholesome diet rich in grains, fruits, and vegetables, you may be experiencing one of the effects of insulin resistance.

After eating, the body produces the hormone insulin to take food particles to the cells. Once at the cells, it enters through points on cell membranes called receptor sites. But for many people, there's a glitch in the process, and the insulin receptors become insensitive, failing to respond adequately. As a result, the insulin is forced to remain in the bloodstream, where it starts to build tissue, including fat tissue. Nutritionist Robert Crayhon from the Designs for Health Institute and author of Robert Crayhon's Nutrition Made Simple explains, "It reminds me of B. B. King's song 'The Thrill Is Gone.' The relationship is just not working. What happens then is a lot more insulin is hanging out in the bloodstream. This creates a lot of problems. One of them is too much adipose [fat] tissue, and we gain weight."

Along with weight gain, other symptoms begin to manifest. Levels of harmful triglycerides rise and protective HDL cholesterol drops. Other problems can include a rise in uric acid, gout, clogged arteries, and even polycystic ovary disease. Also, too much sugar in the blood eventually can lead to type 2, or adult-onset, diabetes. And some researchers are suggesting a possible link to cancer and heart disease. An overabundance of insulin also creates an imbalance of other hormones, such as the circulating thyroid hormone, and Cortisol, produced by the adrenal glands. In the latter instance, the adrenal glands respond to a perceived fight-or-flight state of emergency when the blood sugar fails to drop. Too much Cortisol means that you're not only storing fat, you're retaining water and becoming bloated. This complex problem is sometimes called metabolic syndrome, or syndrome X.

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