Insulin is a hormone secreted by our Pancreas in response to the intake of food, particularly Carbohydrates and Fat. Its role among others is to regulate glucose levels throughout the body. Over time for a variety of reasons our cells can become less sensitive to the effects of insulin and result in more insulin being required to maintain healthy glucose levels. The effect of this is high and sustained insulin levels (or hyperinsulinemia) which is the hallmark of poor metabolic health. The spectrum of conditions underpinned by hyperinsulinemia include
-Obesity
-Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD)
-Pre-Diabetes
-Type 2 Diabetes
And these Metabolic Conditions (or foundational diseases) are how many of the other Chronic Diseases of the Modern Environment emerge such as Heart Disease, Dementia and Cancer. Insulin Resistance and Obesity remain the second leading cause of Cancer after Smoking. They are also the most important risk factor driving poor outcomes from infectious illnesses including Covid-19.
You may have heard the term Metabolic Syndrome. This in clinical practice is a collection of results and measurements that closely approximates Insulin Resistance or Pre-Diabetes. It is defined as having 3 or more of the following:
Hypersulinaemia from our Poor Nutrition, reduced Exercise, Stress, poor quality sleep, and a variety of other components lead to Obesity, Metabolic Dysfunction and ultimately can culminate in some of the Major Disease burdens we are more familiar with.
There are of course other factors at play such as ‘Cholesterol’, Inflammation, Hormone Dysregulation and more. We will dive into these in other blogs but it is so important to understand that none of these exist in a vacuum and all elements of our Physiology are intimately connected and working towards the same goal, to make us better users and producers of Energy.
So now that we are familiar with Insulin Resistance, and recognise its importance in establishing the presence of poor long term health by reducing lifespan (length) and healthspan (quality), we need to figure out what to do a) to prevent it and b) to reverse it once it has set in.
Firstly we need to establish the presence or the risk of poor Metabolic Health. At CDxP we do this through our various Health Screening options.
We take a 360-degree view of our clients overall health with a unique metabolic focus with the aim of establishing a lifestyle intervention solution. These solutions broadly speaking can be categorised along the following lines:
By identifying your unique risk profile, you will become more empowered to make the changes that you as an individual require to achieve optimal metabolic health and provide the best possible platform for achieving Longevity!
