Insulin can be both good and bad for you
Insulin is good for you in that it lowers blood glucose to prevent microvascular disease—but is also bad for you in that it increases the smooth muscle around the coronary arteries or in the kidney, leading to narrowing, and more risk for a heart attack or kidney failure. Insulin has two actions in cells: 1) metabolic (lowers glucose, stores energy); and 2) cell proliferation (meaning growth and division). Every insulin molecule your pancreas makes is both good and bad for you, all at the same time—short-term gain (blood-glucose lowering) for long-term pain (vascular dysfunction and cancer).
This dichotomous effect of insulin has been seen in every intensive blood glucose control study, such as the UK Prospective Diabetes Study (UKPDS), the Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes Study (ACCORD) on the effects of rosiglitazone, the Veterans Affairs Diabetes Trial (VADT), and the Action in Diabetes and Vascular Controlled Evaluation (ADVANCE), which actually had to be stopped midstream because of the increase in patient mortality from large vessel disease (heart disease). We need insulin to survive, but if we are insulin resistant, adding extra insulin lowers glucose only at the expense of contributing to chronic disease. Short-term gain for long-term pain.
References
- Lustig, Robert. (2021). Metabolical Chapter 2. “Modern Medicine” Treats Symptoms, Not Disease (p. 57). New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers.
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Type:🔴 Tags: Biology / Medicine / Biochemistry Status:☀️