Are we being told the whole story about blood sugar, insulin resistance, and type 2 diabetes (T2D)?
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ The focus and blame is often placed on refined carbs (and even carbs in general, sometimes that distinction is not even made). ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ But is this blame justified? ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ What's usually missing from this conversation is the association between fat intake, specifically saturated fats from animal products, and their role in insulin resistance due to increased intramyocellular lipid levels. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Insulin resistance is a dysfunction in insulin's ability to transfer sugar from the blood into the cell. Insulin has to bind to its receptor on the surface of the cell in order to open the gates to allow glucose in. But when there is an accumulation of fat on the insulin receptor, then the insulin can't actually bind to it, and therefore is unable to open that gate to allow the glucose in. Glucose then builds up in the blood, causing high blood sugar levels. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ The good news is that the more plants included in the diet the less intramyocellular lipids. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ "A vegan diet may also be associated with reductions in intramyocellular lipid, which is strongly associated with lipid sensitivity" "...intramyocellular lipid concentration was 31% lower in a group of 21 vegans compared to 25 omnivores..." (1) ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ "Systemic lipid imbalances give rise to glucose dysregulation, rather than vice versa." (3) ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ "Recent findings suggested that intramyocellular triglyceride excess is a source, not only a marker, of muscle insulin resistance." (4) ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ "Cheese and butter intake was associated with a higher risk of T2D." "...participants in the highest quartile of updated animal fat intake had an ~2-fold higher risk of T2D..." (2) ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ I've talked about the link between low-carb diets and increased rates of all-cause mortality in previous posts, so this is just another reason not to fear carbs (with a focus on whole food carbs of course, but don't worry about that pasta or vegan cinnamon bun once and awhile either). References: 1. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19339401/ 2. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28202478/ 3. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22660796/ 4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1971250/ 5. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/330919532_Evidence_of_higher_intramyocellular_fat_among_normal_and_overweight_Indians_with_prediabetes
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AuthorShawna Barker BSc., RHN is a nutritionist specializing in vegan diets. Archives
February 2021
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