Military and Veteran Benefits, News, Veteran Jobs. Military Headlines. GI Bill. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). What is a low carb diet, really? When can a low carb diet be beneficial? Should everyone follow a low carb diet? Or, can a low carb diet ruin your health? You can have the fanciest wheels but it won't matter much if your headlights aren't working -- here's how to replace old bulbs. ![]() More information about education benefits offered by VA is available at the official U. How Does a Ketogenic Diet Improve Insulin Sensitivity? By Dr. Mercola. We are just beginning to understand the biological intricacies of aging. A growing body of research is challenging the belief that aging is beyond your control, prompting scientists to begin thinking about ways we can slow our aging clocks to a slow crawl. One major factor seems to be insulin signaling and the metabolic . Peter Attia discusses how a ketogenic diet can optimize your metabolism. But before I discuss the specifics of this, I want to tell you about a remarkable mouse study, presented in the second video. Scientists just accomplished quite a feat: extending the lifespan of mice by 2. This gene is thought to be involved, in some capacity, with insulin signaling. ![]()
Okinawa Prefecture (Japanese: . It comprises.The drug, rapamycin, is an immunosuppressant used to treat certain cancers and also to prevent organ rejection in transplant patients. But they had other effects as well—some that were beneficial, and some that were not. However, they also developed softer bones, more infections, and more cataracts than normal mice. Researchers believe it's also somehow involved in the effects of calorie restriction, which is associated with longevity. It's been known for nearly a century that animals consuming less food live longer. There is no guarantee that inhibiting the action of m. TOR in humans would produce similar life- extending effects—and it could be harmful in unforeseen ways. You can learn more about this in this previous interview with fitness expert Ori Hofmekler. By adding just a tiny amount of glucose to worms' diets, their lifespan was shortened by 2. Believe it or not, when it comes to insulin signaling, there are many similarities between you and those wiggly creatures. Consuming lots of sugar and grains is the equivalent of slamming your foot on your aging accelerator. A High- Fat Diet May Also Lengthen Your Life. Numerous studies have shown that lowering your caloric intake may slow down aging, help prevent age- related chronic diseases, and extend your life. As you age, your levels of glucose, insulin and triglycerides tend to gradually creep upward. Study participants were given a high- fat, low- carbohydrate diet with adequate protein, and the results were health improvements across the board. Serum leptin decreased by an average of eight percent, insulin by 4. T3 (thyroid hormone) by almost six percent. We also know that calorie restriction improves insulin sensitivity, and high insulin levels accelerate aging. Therefore, it is safe to assume that much of the longevity phenomenon can be attributed to improved insulin signaling. What this means for you is that your longevity depends more on whatyou eat than on how muchyou eat. A Radical Ketogenic Diet Experiment. Now that you have an understanding of how important insulin is to your health and longevity, let's take a look at Dr. Peter Attia, who presents one of the clearest examples of the effects of diet on overall health markers. Attia is a Stanford University trained physician with a passion for metabolic science, who decided to use himself as a lab rat—with incredible results. Attia has always been active and fit, he did not have genetics on his side. His natural tendency was toward metabolic syndrome, in spite of being very diligent about his diet and exercise. So he decided to experiment with a ketogenic diet, to see if he could improve his overall health status. For a period of 1. He experienced improvement in every measure of health, as you can see in the table below. An MRI confirmed that he had lost not only subcutaneous fat but also visceral fat, which is the type most detrimental. His experiment demonstrates how diet can produce major changes in your body, even if you are starting out relatively fit. And if you're starting out with a low level of fitness, then the changes you experience may be even more pronounced. BEFOREAFTERFasting blood sugar. Percentage body fat. Waist circumference in inches. Blood pressure. 13. LDL1. 13. 88. HDL3. Triglycerides. 15. Insulin sensitivity. Increased by more than 4. What is a Ketogenic Diet? Attia consumed what is known as a ketogenic diet, which is one that shifts your body's metabolic engine from burning carbohydrates to burning fats. Your cells have the metabolic flexibility to adapt from using glucose for fuel to using ketone bodies, which come from the breakdown of fats—hence the name . As an aside, many types of cancer cells do NOT have this adaptability and require glucose to thrive, which makes the ketogenic diet an effective therapy for combating cancer. One of the fastest ways to prevent nutritional ketosis is by consuming sugar or refined carbohydrates. He restricted his sugar intake to about five grams per day, which is quite extreme and much lower than I recommend for most people. He consumed a moderate amount of protein, and the rest of his foods—8. But his approach, as radical as it was, really proves that a ketogenic diet can have profound health benefits—not to mention blowing the saturated fats theory of heart disease out of the water, once again. Please note that I have recently revised my position on using low carb long term and now believe that the low carb, low to moderate protein, high healthy fat diet is appropriate for most who are insulin or leptin resistant. Once that resistance resolves, then it likely becomes counterproductive to maintain a low- carb approach. Once your weight, blood pressure, sugar, and cholesterol normalize, you can increase your carbs. Personally, I now consume several pieces of fruit a day and have two dozen fruit trees in my yard, but my body weight, fat, and insulin resistance are all optimized. The best way to know if you are not insulin resistant is to measure your fasting insulin level. If it is below 3 you are not likely resistant. However you can use clinical parameters that are more convenient. If you are overweight, have high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer or abnormal cholesterol levels, it is likely that you have some element of insulin/leptin resistance going on and you would likely benefit from continuing to intermittently fast until the conditions resolve. Your Heart LOVES Ketones. Your heart, as well as other muscles, operates quite efficiently when fueled by ketones. Your muscles can store more glucose (as glycogen) than your brain because they have an enzyme that helps them maintain their glycogen stores. But your brain lacks this enzyme, so it prefers to be fueled by glucose. When your blood glucose levels are falling, your ketone levels are typically rising, and vice versa. You might be wondering, then, how your brain is able to function when you're in a state of ketosis. When your glucose is low, your brain tells your liver to produce a ketone- like compound called beta- hydroxybutyrate (or beta- hydroxybutyric acid). This compound is able to fuel your brain very efficiently, especially with . Your body will be able to save its glycogen stores for when they are critically needed, such as when you're engaged in intense physical activity. Are You 'Bonking'? If this is you, then carbohydrates are ever- present and your liver can't remember how to produce ketones because it hasn't needed to. Your fat- burning engine has been switched off. If you eat the standard American diet, chances are you've lost your ability to burn body fat, despite carrying around an enormous supply of it! And I say that with the greatest respect and concern. Attia uses the analogy of a huge petroleum truck that runs out of gas on the highway—in spite of having thousands of gallons of fuel on board, the truck can't access it and stops dead in its tracks. When this happens in your body, he calls it . If you didn't hit the . Typically, restricting your carbohydrates to 3. Exercising, particularly while fasting, is also very effective at jumpstarting your fat- burning engine. The more consistently you exercise, the better your body will be at using your own fat stores for energy. In summary, when it comes to your ketogenic engine, you either . Attia's results, using it can have a profound impact on your health and longevity. Strategies for Adding Years to Your Life—and Life to Your Years. A key factor in living a long, healthy life is optimizing your insulin, which increasing numbers of scientific studies are proving. But other factors are important as well. The following are my top anti- aging recommendations: Proper Food Choices. For a complete guide about which foods to eat and which to avoid, see my comprehensive nutrition plan. Generally speaking, you should focus your diet on whole, ideally organic, unprocessed foods that come from healthy, sustainable and preferably local sources. For the highest nutritional benefit, eat a good portion of your food raw. This type of diet will naturally optimize your insulin signaling. Most people (although there are clearly individual differences) should strive for a diet high in healthful fats (as high as 5. Non- vegetable carbohydrates should be a fairly minimal part of your diet. Sugar, and fructose in particular, can act as a toxin when consumed in excess, driving multiple disease processes in your body including insulin resistance, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and systemic inflammation—any of which can shorten your life. Comprehensive Exercise Program, Including High- Intensity Exercise. Even if you're eating the best diet in the world, you still need to exercise—and exercise effectively—if you wish to optimize your health. You should include core- strengthening exercises, strength training, and the right kind of stretching, as well as high- intensity . Consider combining this with intermittent fasting to supercharge your metabolism. Reduce Your Stress. Your emotional state plays a role in nearly every physical disease, from heart disease to depression to cancer, and yet it's the factor most often neglected. Stress has a direct impact on inflammation, which underlies many of the chronic diseases that kill people prematurely every day.
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