INSULIN AND IGF
CHRONICALLY HIGH LEVELS WILL KILL YOU
YES, A LITTLE AT A TIME AT FIRST, BUT...
PROTECTION
Insulin is a great hormone, but like any of the hormones it must be held in balance and harmony with other hormones and with what works for the body.
If one "spikes" his/her blood sugar through ingesting too much sugar and/or refined carbohydrates (or any high glycemic ones), insulin goes into action to prevent the damage that high glucose in the blood does to tissues and organs. It does this by removing, asap, the sugar and storing it in the fat cells.
Insulin moves the sugar into the body's cells, so you'll find that when energy is needed, such as in exercise, the insulin will rise in order to put more energy into the cells. However, a portion of the energy will be provided by the glycogen stored in the liver
and the muscles.
AND IT'LL STORE FAT!
Interestingly enough, one major strategy of losing weight is never to spike blood sugar/insulin so that the body will not store that particular fat in the first place! So, not spiking blood sugar is one of the cardinal rules of weight loss - not to be violated!!!
The rush of insulin in a matter of minutes can send your blood glucose level too low, causing you to feel hungry, sluggish, foggy, cranky, and have trouble focusing. While the insulin stores the energy away into the fat cells so it is unavailable for use, you may be driven to eat some more in order to rescue your low blood sugar, which means that you've increased your calorie intake for the day!
A vicious circle.
But wait a minute. We're not through yet. Yes, you'll be fatter, but then the worst happens...
An excess of insulin in the blood will create some resistance, as the cells react to protect themselves from too much glucose. They become less sensitive to insulin because they have actively resisted having too much and had to defensively reduce the amount of glucose coming in. This is called reduced insulin sensitivity or insulin insensitivity or insulin resistance. But when it becomes too insensitive, the cell will not draw in enough glucose under normal circumstances and it will leave too much glucose in the blood, which creates havoc on the tissues and organs (even to the point, eventually, of cutting off circulation to the extremities and/or causing nerve damage - and even amputations).
And the emotions go crazy and we don't feel good and... on and on, with lower functioning of the whole body and the mind. Not a pretty picture!
And something to be avoided at all costs (upfront), as the cost later is just too huge!
But, not me!
Wanna bet!?!
At some point we call this pre-diabetes and then diabetes or Metabolic Syndrome X.
THE INSULIN-LIKE GROWTH FACTOR (IGF)
And then the excess insulin can go sit into the cell receptors for IGFs, preventing them them from doing their job of repair and building.
IGF is a growth hormone and a hormone that has good effects when used properly and terrible effects if overused or misused, such as with athletes.
We need growth hormones to develop and maintain muscle and bone and to repair tissue damage (such as that done by too much blood sugar).
IGF-1 is a hormone similar in molecular structure to insulin. It plays an important role in childhood growth and continues to have anabolic effects in adults. It is called an "anabolic steroid." It stimulates cell growth, both causing new tissue formation and existing tissue growth. No wonder athletes and muscle builders love it.
It helps you learn faster, as it promotes growth of new motor neurons. It improves collagen formation and aids in cartilage repair, aids in bone production and repair.
IGF-1 is produced inside the body and acts as an agent keeping different parts healthy. But as people get older the levels of the insulin-like hormone gradually begin to decrease, which further allows them to age.
It is now widely accepted that signaling through the insulin/IGF-1-like receptor pathway is a significant contributor to the biological aging process
Because of this, the hormone can build lean body mass and it has the ability to build bone strength, increase muscle tissue and mass, and improve nerve health. Taking it can also help reverse shrinking of the thymus gland which helps modulate the immune system and create better response.
But...
Overuse can result in an increase in swelling in the arms and legs and spread causing inflammation of the skin. Along with that there is a risk of high amounts of joint pain. People who take too much Insulin Growth Factor 1 can also increase blood sugar levels in the body increasing the risk of diabetes. There are also problems such as jaw pain, facial swelling and swelling in the hands and heart problems. Also there is an increased risk of cancer from prolonged overuse.
If you inject or ingest it, your body will attempt to adjust in order to do its balancing act to return to an equilibrium state. It may cause increased aggression.
It can create hypoglycemia.
Side effects observed in athletes is cardiomyopathy, a disease which enlarges and weakens the heart.
The IGF signaling pathway has a pathogenic role in cancer. Studies have shown that decreased levels of IGF lead to decreased growth of existing cancer cells.
