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Getting an insulin lab test in Canada - Page 2

post #16 of 21
2/21/10 at 4:28am
I can understand just wanting to know, from a scientific standpoint. I don't think there's a lot of practical value to it though. The other blood chemicals you mentioned have a correlation to heart and general cardiovascular health which can't be measured directly. Insulin, though, you can just measure your body fat levels since that's the main health effect of high insulin levels. Artificial sweeteners are an interesting issue. I believe the literature supports the idea that you get something like 10% insulin released to the equivalent amount of sugar, simply from the taste. It doesn't affect me any, not having the ability to release insulin, but certainly for normal people it's a consideration when you're trying to minimize body fat. Insulin's not all bad, I've used it very effectively post-workout to pack on muscle mass. You just don't want sustained levels during the day. You probably already know that though.
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post #17 of 21
2/21/10 at 4:37am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gibonius View Post
In the long run there was very little difference between normal weight loss techniques and insulin lowering techniques.
I've only been experimenting with the latter for 2 months, but I'd like to read more about the rebuttal on that, if you can direct me to some sources? I'm approaching the subject not just for weight loss but also from overall health perspective. The theory that I am experimenting with is the Paleolithic lifestyle kind, in particular, the 'Evolutionary Fitness' variant as espoused by this guy Arthur De Vanny. It is the most convincing theory on health and fitness that I've came across so far, personally anyways.
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post #18 of 21
2/21/10 at 8:44am
Quote:
Originally Posted by why View Post
You're a dumbass. Really.

Is this a troll thread?

+1
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post #19 of 21
2/21/10 at 1:59pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by FCS View Post
I've only been experimenting with the latter for 2 months, but I'd like to read more about the rebuttal on that, if you can direct me to some sources? I'm approaching the subject not just for weight loss but also from overall health perspective.

The theory that I am experimenting with is the Paleolithic lifestyle kind, in particular, the 'Evolutionary Fitness' variant as espoused by this guy Arthur De Vanny. It is the most convincing theory on health and fitness that I've came across so far, personally anyways.

Sorry if that was misleading, that was a personal evaluation not a scientific judgement. Diabetics are an interesting test case since we can actually directly track our insulin levels. I ended up discovering that, for me at least, I used the same techniques to minimize my insulin levels as I did to lose weight: Fairly low carb levels, slow digesting carbs to minimize insulin spikes, maintain a high level of exercise with resistance training at least every other day. If trying to gain mass, spike insulin levels immediately after workout with protein. For me, I couldn't eat carbs in the morning due to high AM carb sensitivity but that would be really hard for a non-diabetic to find out.

I'm not aware of a lot of studies on the health effects of insulin levels, primarily because it's hard to measure. Most studies will track something more concrete, like body fat levels. It's well known that insulin resistance is bad for you (which is of course caused by high sustained insulin levels), but as far as I know the main negative consequence is fat retention.

You said you were trying to keep your insulin levels under 5. What are the units for that? I'm not calibrate on how much insulin a healthy person would use, only what other diabetics use.
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post #20 of 21
2/22/10 at 12:20am
Thread Starter 
I believe the unit of measurement is uIU/ml (sometimes interchangeably quoted as IU/ml or uU/ml). I've read that most people in modern societies have fasting-insulin levels ranging from 7-11, with those with heart problems and metabolic challenges having levels quite a bit above 10. I read as well about the hypothesis that elevated insulin, along with high blood glucose, plays a central role in accelerating the aging mechanism. In particular it is the triggering of the Insulin/IGF-1 pathway.
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post #21 of 21
2/22/10 at 12:42am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gibonius View Post
Sorry if that was misleading, that was a personal evaluation not a scientific judgement. Diabetics are an interesting test case since we can actually directly track our insulin levels. I ended up discovering that, for me at least, I used the same techniques to minimize my insulin levels as I did to lose weight: Fairly low carb levels, slow digesting carbs to minimize insulin spikes, maintain a high level of exercise with resistance training at least every other day. If trying to gain mass, spike insulin levels immediately after workout with protein. For me, I couldn't eat carbs in the morning due to high AM carb sensitivity but that would be really hard for a non-diabetic to find out.
I see what you're saying, I misunderstood your prior comment as "In the long run there was very little difference in weight loss results between normal weight loss techniques and insulin lowering techniques." Prior to this, I approached weight control purely by calories-in, calories-out philosophy, with way too much emphasis on cardio exercises and bare minimal anaerobic training. I ate carbs (rice, potatoes, bread, etc) in a monstrous amount, not helped by the fact that I really them since I was a kid. Giving them up is really tough, but I do notice significant differences in a short period of time. The major drawback is that now I can't eat out (almost) anywhere, which sucks since my culinary skills are dismal.
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