What is metabolic syndrome?
Metabolic syndrome raises the risk of developing diabetes, heart disease, and stroke.
Most people who have metabolic syndrome have insulin resistance. When we consume an abundance of simple carbohydrates our blood sugar elevates very quickly. In response to this, the pancreas produces insulin so that glucose can be escorted into the cells to be used for energy production. If the amount of glucose that we have absorbed exceeds the body’s need for energy production, the cells will no longer accept the glucose. As a result, blood sugar stays elevated and in an effort to bring it down, the pancreas will continue to produce insulin. As insulin is also a fat-storing hormone, the more of it that circulates in the body, the harder it becomes to burn body fat. High levels of insulin can also make you feel tired, bloated and crave sugar
Two things occur at this point: 1) glucose is converted to fat and cholesterol so that it is moved out of the blood, and 2) the body becomes resistant to the effects of its own insulin because the need for energy production has been met. If this biochemical process occurs over several years due to a diet high in simple carbohydrates, the development of insulin resistance makes it very difficult to lose weight and keep cholesterol down.
What Are the Complications of Metabolic Syndrome?
The complications that may result from metabolic syndrome are frequently serious and long-term (chronic). They include:
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hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis)
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diabetes
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heart attack
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kidney disease
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stroke
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nonalcoholic fatty liver disease
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peripheral artery disease
Why do we get fat and then struggle to lose that extra weight?
There are a lot of factors not taken into account when we try and lose weight. Most of these are hormonal. Here is a short description of these.
Leptin (Leptin is a hormone secreted by adipose (fat) tissue that is your appetite suppressor – the hormone that signals your body that you’ve had enough to eat and is a key player in optimizing weight loss. Leptin is made in the fat tissue and plays a key role in regulating energy intake and expenditure, including appetite and hunger, metabolism, and behavior.
Leptin resistance results from a diet high in energy-dense low-nutrient foods including soda, refined flours, candy, or any form of sugar (honey, maple syrup, etc). These foods should be limited in anyone trying to lose weight since they negatively impact all of your hormones.
Leptin levels are directly proportional to body weight. Leptin resistance is extremely common in obese individuals.
Ghrelin Ghrelin is the hormone responsible for making us hungry. Lowering ghrelin also reduces hunger and cravings, allowing you to naturally eat less. Ghrelin levels play a big role in determining how quickly hunger comes back after we eat. Normally, ghrelin levels go up dramatically before you eat; this signals hunger. They then go down for about three hours after the meal. Research shows that lowering levels of ghrelin leads to decreased body fat.
The ghrelin hormone not only stimulates the brain giving rise to an increase in appetite, but also favours the accumulation of fat located in the abdominal region – considered to be the most harmful. Since ghrelin promotes the formation abdominal fat near the liver, it also promotes fatty liver and increases the risk of developing resistance to insulin.
Adiponectin is the hormone that tells your body to burn fat for fuel—it’s like your body’s “fat burning torch.” If your body isn’t producing enough of it, you won’t lose weight. The more adiponectin you have circulating in your bloodstream, the more fat you burn. Unfortunately, the more fat you have, the lower your adiponectin levels. That’s why dropping weight is so hard at first. Your adiponectin needs a kick start.
Insulin resistance leads to too much glucose in your system, so that most of the carbohydrates you consume get stored as fat. Insulin resistance makes it virtually impossible to lose weight.
Cortisol (Adrenaline)
The body produces cortisol in response to stress. Extra cortisol has the following effects:
-Increases cravings for sweets and carbs.
- Causes overeating and constant hunger.
- Causes the body to break down muscle tissue for energy.
- Lowers the metabolism by reducing muscle mass.
- Causes more fat to be stored in the abdominal area.
There are many factors involved in weightloss and maintaining optimal body weight. One of these is called Syndrome X or Metabolic Syndrome.
Successful weight management must start with ensuring optimal liver function.
The liver is the major detoxification center, acting as a filter to remove foreign substances and wastes from the blood such as alcohol, solvents, formaldehyde, pesticides, herbicides, and food additives. The liver converts these toxins into compounds that the body can safely handle and remove through the kidneys, skin, lungs and bowels. The liver is also responsible for breaking down nutrients, medications, vitamins, and hormones. When the liver is not functioning properly, the body accumulates undesirable waste byproducts or metabolites which remain in circulation and can turn toxic inside the body. This leads to a variety of undesirable symptoms including weight gain and the inability to lose weight.
How does the body's metabolism affect weight control?
Metabolism plays a vital role in energy balance and body weight. The secret to achieving good health and ideal body weight is to know how your metabolism works and how you can make it work for you, instead of against you. The foods we eat have different effects on our hormones, which determine whether we store or burn body fat.
Carbohydrates, proteins and fats affect the body differently, therefore different foods have different effects on insulin and glucagon. Insulin and glucagon work synergistically, meaning when one goes up, the other goes down and vice versa, determining whether the body burns or stores body fat. Insulin is the FAT STORAGE hormone and glucagon is the FAT BURNING hormone. When blood sugar levels are low and the body needs more energy, and if food is unavailable, glucagon is released from the pancreas. It’s job is the complete opposite to that of insulin. Glucagon goes into the cells and causes fat to be released and converted into energy.
Carbohydrates: Carbohydrates are converted immediately into sugar by the body. They have a direct effect on insulin and no effect on glucagon. When they are eaten, blood glucose levels rise and insulin is released to bring it back down. After a high carbohydrate breakfast which releases a lot of energy people have a mid-morning ‘sugar crash’ and immediately need more carbohydrates to bring the sugar levels up. This forms a cycle throughout the day. Fat burning will not take place when insulin levels are high. When a high carbohydrate meal is consumed, blood sugar levels are high, therefore insulin levels are high, and the fat burning switch is turned off because glucagon levels are suppressed.
Protein: Protein has a mild effect on insulin in the body. Protein causes blood sugar levels to rise gradually so that only a small amount of insulin is released, preventing the ‘sugar crash’. Protein is great for providing sustained energy for the body. It takes the body a long period of time to digest and helps the body build lean muscle mass, heal itself and is an essential macro nutrient as part of a healthy diet.
Fat: Fat has NO effect on insulin. It only causes a rise of glucagon, which means the body burns fat when fat is consumed. Good fats like coconut oil, olive oil, nuts and good quality organic butter, do not affect blood sugar levels and the body has sustained energy. The resulting release of glucagon makes the body burn its own energy stores. People on a low-fat diet who are trying to lose weight are constantly hungry and don’t understand why they do not lose weight. This can all be attributed to unbalanced hormones wrecking havoc on the body because of the foods people are eating.
The body has two main fuels: glucose (sugar) or fat. The preferred source of fuel is fat, but under certain circumstances when facing a dangerous situation, the body can shift and use more sugar than fat. When sugar remains the main fuel for most of the day, the body is not burning fat. Because of lifestyle choices and nutrition decisions many people make, the extra stored fat gets ‘locked’ into their fat cells and cannot be used for energy. The only way to lose fat is to use it. Eating fewer calories and exercising may cause weightloss, but most of the loss will come from lean body mass, or muscle tissue, not fat.
Fat Storage and Insulin
The most significant factor in fat storage is the level of insulin in the blood. Insulin increases the storage of fat in fat cells and prevents fat cells from releasing fat for energy.
Eight hormones including glucagon, stimulate fat utilization - one hormone prevents fat utilization: insulin. The pancreas releases insulin when blood sugar levels rise above normal. Following a meal, blood sugars rise in relation to the amount and type of carbohydrates consumed. Processed carbohydrates are absorbed faster, and tend to cause faster and greater rises in blood sugar. The pancreas releases insulin, which tells the muscle, liver and fat cells to take up the blood sugar (and fat if it’s available) and remove it from the blood. This is a normal process because elevated blood sugar is toxic for the body.
With a moderate amount of carbohydrates consumed each day, the pancreas can cope and move the glucose to the muscles, fat and liver. The pancreas is not over-worked and the liver, fat and muscles are able to utilize the glucose. The person maintains constant energy levels and does not pick up weight.
When excessive amounts of carbohydrates, especially processed carbohydrates, are consumed on a daily basis, the insulin secreted is ineffective and this leads to insulin resistance. The liver and muscle cells then have a limited capacity to store glucose and this is then sent to the fat cells. When blood sugar levels are not brought down to the level they should be, the pancreas releases more insulin than necessary. With more insulin released, glucose levels can be brought down to a safe level again, at least for a while. Over time, fasting blood sugar levels start to creep up which can be a sign of early insulin resistance. Over time, excessive carbohydrate consumption continues, blood sugar levels get higher and higher. The pancreas secretes higher levels of insulin. Eventually the cells with receptors for insulin are desensitized and the pancreas stops secreting insulin. Blood sugar levels rise, and type 2 diabetes diagnosed.
For someone with insulin resistance or diabetes, he or she will have an exaggerated insulin response. Eating a small amount of carbohydrate will cause the pancreas to release a large amount of insulin. Those who are insulin resistant will have elevated insulin levels throughout the day, which means their fat cells won’t be able to release fat for fuel.
Insulin locks fat in the fat cell. Excessive carbohydrate consumption causes elevated insulin levels.
Less Insulin, More Energy
If carbohydrates raise insulin levels and insulin increases fat storage and decreases fat burning, is a low-carb diet the answer to fat loss? For many people, simply decreasing their carbohydrate consumption results in a decreased appetite, lowered insulin levels, improved lipid profiles and almost effortless weight loss. Once insulin levels are brought under control, fat cells are allowed to release the stored fatty acids.
Fat Storage and Insulin
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Our synergistic formula addresses all the above problems as well as the following:
Assists the body in balancing Leptin and Ghrelin levels
Helps to increase the lean body mass
Decreases body fat accumulation.
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Detoxifies and regenerates the liver.
Keeps blood glucose levels stable.
Provides antioxidant benefits.
Makes the person feel full for longer.
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