Hyperinsulinemia Is A Cancer Risk

Articles

Hyperinsulinemia Is A Cancer Risk

Hyperinsulinemia means having too much insulin in the bloodstream. It is a common feature of several medical conditions. Insulin has many critical functions in the body, but if too much is produced, it can have adverse effects. Insulin is a growth promoting hormone. It can trigger the growth and replication of cancer cells. Insulin can also increase glucose uptake by cancer cells, fueling their access to nutrients.

Insulin is a hormone that your pancreas secretes into your bloodstream after you have eaten. It enables the glucose from your food to enter your cells, where it is burned for energy. If insulin is not doing its job properly, less glucose will be burnt for energy and more of it will be converted into fat. Insulin resistance means the cells of your body don’t respond to it properly, thus your body secretes even more insulin to compensate. Excess insulin causes the accumulation of body fat around the torso and the development of a fatty liver, fatty pancreas and an increased risk of type 2 diabetes.

In a person with insulin resistance, blood levels of insulin remain high all day. This is typical in people who carry excess weight on their torso and upper body rather than just the thighs and buttocks. People with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) also usually have too much insulin in their bloodstream because insulin is the main trigger of disrupted ovarian function.

Insulin and cancer

The specific types of cancer most closely linked to excess insulin include breast, endometrial (uterus), ovarian, prostate, colorectal and pancreatic cancers. Patients with elevated insulin have poorer survival and a higher risk of recurrence. It’s important to note that excess insulin is a cancer risk even in people who are not overweight. A high dietary intake of sugar, grains, cereals and starches is the biggest trigger of insulin production and that can occur in people who are not overweight.

Insulin is a hormone that increases activity of growth promoting hormones and enzymes, increasing proliferation of cancer cells. Many types of tumor cells have increased insulin receptors on their cell membranes. High blood insulin levels facilitate uptake of glucose by these cells, increasing their nutrient uptake for growth and replication.

You can ask your doctor for an insulin blood test. A fasting blood test as well as a glucose tolerance test with insulin can both give you an excellent indicator of your body’s insulin production.

Natural ways to lower insulin and reduce your cancer risk

There are certain herbs and nutrients that help to make insulin more effective in your body. This is a good thing because if it’s more effective, you won’t need to secrete as much of it into your bloodstream. The most important nutrients for insulin action are chromium and magnesium. You have probably heard that chromium helps to reduce sugar cravings and it’s true. It does this by helping to keep your blood sugar stable throughout the day. Chromium deficiency is incredibly common because not many foods are a good source of this mineral. Also when you eat sugar or high carb foods, it flushes chromium out of your body through your urine.
Gymnema sylvestre is an herb that helps to keep your blood sugar stable and it helps to reduce sugar cravings. It is also very good for diabetics. Bitter melon is a vegetable that is commonly used in Asian cuisine. True to its name, it is an extremely bitter vegetable and many people are not able to handle the intense flavor at all. You can find all of these nutrients and herbs combined together in Glicemic Balance capsules. When taken with meals they help to reduce hunger and cravings and help to lower your blood insulin level. Berberine helps to improve insulin sensitivity, cholesterol metabolism and assists weight loss. It is very helpful for those with type 2 diabetes or pre-diabetes.
Magnesium is also necessary for healthy insulin action. People who take blood pressure medication or diuretics (fluid tablets) are typically low in magnesium. A high carb diet or elevated blood sugar increases urinary magnesium loss. Magnesium helps to relax your nervous system and makes you feel less stressed. Thus it is fantastic for people who eat when they feel stressed.
Make sure you’re not vitamin D deficient. You should ask your doctor for a vitamin D blood test. The majority of my patients are low in this important nutrient. Being vitamin D deficient worsens insulin resistance and it weakens the immune system, raising the risk of cancer. Many people cannot get sufficient sunshine to manufacture enough vitamin D, thus they require a supplement.
Improve the health of your liver. A healthy liver is very important for blood sugar control. This is because the liver can store glucose and fat, and also produce glucose and fat. You want your liver to be good at fat burning. People with a healthy liver have a fast metabolism and don’t gain weight as easily. Unfortunately a lot of people have a fatty liver and their liver is doing the opposite of what it should be doing – it is very busy making fat.

A healthy liver also helps to control your blood sugar level. If you have not eaten for several hours, your liver is supposed to release some stored glucose into your bloodstream to give you energy and keep hunger at bay. People with a sluggish liver struggle with this and they often feel excessively hungry, weak or irritable if they have gone several hours without food. It makes sticking to a diet extremely difficult! To help improve your liver health I recommend you follow the diet in my book Fatty Liver You Can Reverse It. It is not a difficult eating plan to stick to and you should not feel hungry. Taking a good quality liver tonic like Livatone Plus will provide the nutrients your liver requires in order to burn fat and detoxify your bloodstream more effectively.