Insulin index: how a fat cell grows

Nutritionist, professor, MD Alexey Kovalkov spoke about the wonders of the insulinemic/insulin index and how the fat cell grows.

The fat cell can increase 200 times. Inside the fat cell there is a dense formation called triglycerides, our main energy reserve. It is these substances that accumulate in the cells of adipose tissue. The body receives triglycerides from food, and the liver also synthesizes them, for example, from carbohydrates.

When the body is hungry for energy, it breaks down triglycerides with the release of water, glycerin and energy. That's great! But having high triglyceride levels is very dangerous. This leads to the fact that they stick to the walls of blood vessels and, in the future, hello, atherosclerosis. High triglyceride levels are usually observed in people who like food with a high content of animal fats.

So, we presented the fat cell in the form of a ball, inside of which there is a dense lump of these same triglycerides. Free fatty acids float next to the fat cell. The process of fatty acids flowing into and out of the cell is ongoing. But here you have eaten something, insulin rises and there comes a moment when all the fatty acids rush into the fat cell, solder together and the lump of triglycerides becomes larger. This is how fat cells grow.

Now let's consider, for example, a harmless and such a useful apple. An apple contains carbohydrates, which are secreted by insulin. And insulin — just from one apple — is released in for three hours. Of course, after three hours you can go to the gym and work out intensively, but you will burn only the carbohydrates you receive. Don't you have apples? No, of course not. Eat up. The main thing is that you don't eat them overnight! By the way, Dr. Kovalkov says that you can eat pork, lard at night and you will lose weight. This is true, but based on the fact that, hopefully, you want to not only burn fat at night, but also get the maximum amount of energy for the next day, then you should not do this.

The insulin index is very important for a weight loss program. We get fatter from how much the hormone insulin is released.

But and this is not the most important thing... Insulin catastrophically changes the body as a whole. Male insensitivity and impotence are insulin. Female frigidity is insulin. Oncology... Atherosclerosis... Therefore, even if you are healthy and feel great, you should not systematically consume foods with a high insulinemic index.

Dangerous for weight loss

The insulin index is determined when consuming the product on an empty stomach and is calculated for a serving containing about 240 kcal. In reality, the data, of course, differs from those given in the various tables that you can find on the Internet.

In one table you can see that the AI of the white bean is 35 units, the red one is 27, the green one is 15 and hooray! You know that beans improve the condition of blood vessels, help the digestive system work, and let's eat them in large quantities, only, of course, not in raw form, but canned. After all, there are so many jars with different beans waiting for you in the store. But canned beans contain sugar, which increases its insulin index to 74-120 units. Not a logical approach. Of course, you can eat it boiled. And boiled beans "approximately" 42 units.

The insulin index in some foods is affected by the concentration of fats. This applies, for example, to sour cream. Sour cream with a fat content of 40 percent has an AI of 98 units, 30 percent — 50-70 units, 20 percent — 35-40 units, 10-15 percent — 20-25 units.

The data for vegetables and fruits in all tables are given in raw form, unless there are additional notes. The insulin index increases in the food processing process. Also, the insulin indices of the products increase when mixed.

The most dangerous for weight loss are cottage cheese with fruits and fruit yogurts.

There is no logic in taking muesli with dried fruits (AI 46) and pouring them with kefir (AI 98) or milk (AI— 90). If you eat foods with a high insulin index in combination with something fatty, you will gain weight.

If you use buckwheat for weight loss in the morning or afternoon, then this is great. And buckwheat boiled in water without additives 39 units. But if you add milk (AI 90) your efforts will be in vain.

This information is not given to you in order to prohibit something. Live and enjoy. But if you want to lose weight, then do it using logic. I have repeatedly heard that during the day, many people allow themselves to eat something delicious, telling themselves: "This is not scary." Eat whatever you want. You just need to understand that usually "delicious" has a high insulin index, and when you start eating it, you can't stop right away... Follow the recommendations about the importance of delicious food in your life for two weeks. Most likely, the weight will stay in place, even if you eat only vegetables and protein in the evening. Of course, if you are a person with developed muscles, this does not apply to you, because your personal physical data affects the degree of insulin production.

Products with a high insulin index

For most products, the insulin index coincides with the glycemic index. GI indicates the rate at which the blood is saturated with sugar.

I have highlighted those foods that many consider useful and acceptable in the weight loss process. Of course, you can and should enjoy yogurt or cottage cheese with fruits, but get rid of the advertising illusions about their lightness.

Many foods have both a high glycemic index and a high insulinemic index. An example is grapes, bananas, potatoes, etc. Of course, they should not be consumed in large quantities. And if you are losing weight, then forget about potatoes, rice, sugar and all sorts of cute pastries.

Products with an average insulin index

In this list, pay attention to whole grain bread with a lot of fiber. It is fiber that reduces the glycemic and insulinemic indices, because it slows down the absorption of carbohydrates. Bran reduces any glycemic index and sugar rises gradually. But... There is no logic in persuading myself that whole-grain bread will not make me fat at all, because nutritionists recommend it. Of course, it is worth using, but if you overdo it, you will gain weight or the weight will stand in place.

Foods with an average insulinemic index should be present in the diet all the time. And it is especially worth paying attention to those who are engaged in sports. And you are already doing sports, aren't you? Absolutely! After all, energy practices are not so effective, and sometimes they even have too powerful an effect on a weak body.

So, you came to the gym and did an intense power load. You are still a young athlete and you do not know that under certain conditions you may have tremors or a headache. These are signs of a drop in blood sugar. Therefore, in order to quickly put the body in order, you can eat a banana, which has high glycemic and high insulinemic indices. Then eat normally those foods that are recommended after strength training.

Products with a low insulin index

As I wrote in the material What to eat at night to lose weight , in the evening you need to eat foods with a low insulin index. Just please leave the fruit for breakfast.

Coffee

Many people are interested in the insulin index of coffee: it is known that the alkaloid increases blood glucose levels. The AI indicator has recently been known to scientists, so no separate studies have been conducted on this drink. I will provide data only on the glycemic index. The GI index depends on the caffeine content as a percentage.

Alcohol

They also ask about the AI of alcohol. Alcohol was also not checked separately. It is believed that the AI of alcohol corresponds to its GI. Please consider these figures rather arbitrary, because the glycemic index is given here.

I think the overall situation with the insulin index is clear. If you want to explore the issue more deeply, then study the following information Insulin index of various products.