(Press-News.org) Researchers at Sinai Health have unearthed vital information about the relationship between insulin levels after eating and long-term heart and metabolic health. The research upends the notion that insulin surge following food intake is a bad thing.
On the contrary – it could be an indicator of good health to come.
Led by Dr. Ravi Retnakaran, Clinician-Scientist at the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, part of Sinai Health, the study set out to explore how insulin levels after meals impact cardiometabolic health. While past research has yielded conflicting results, suggesting both harmful and beneficial effects, this new study aimed to provide a clearer picture over an extended period of time.
The team reported their findings in the online journal eClinicalMedicine, published by the Lancet group.
Normally, insulin levels rise after eating to help manage blood sugar. However, the concern is whether a rapid increase in insulin after a meal could spell bad health. Some believe the insulin surge, especially after eating carbs, promotes weight gain and contributes to insulin resistance. This occurs when the body's cells don't respond well to insulin, making it harder to control blood sugar levels and increasing the risk of type 2 diabetes.
“The suggestion has been made by some people that those insulin peaks have deleterious effects by promoting weight gain,” said Dr. Retnakaran, who is also Endocrinologist at the Leadership Sinai Centre for Diabetes at Mount Sinai Hospital where he holds the Boehringer Ingelheim Chair in Beta-cell Preservation, Function and Regeneration. He is also a Professor at the University of Toronto’s Temerty Faculty of Medicine.
“Sometimes I see patients in the clinic who have adopted this notion, maybe from the internet or what they're reading, that they can't have their insulin level go too high,” he said.
The science is just not conclusive enough to support this notion. Most studies on this topic were either conducted over a short period of time or were based on insulin measurements in isolation that are inadequate and can be misleading, said Dr. Retnakaran.
His team sought to address this problem by looking at cardiometabolic implications of insulin response over the long term, and in a way that accounts for baseline blood sugar levels. The latter point is key because each person has an individual insulin response that varies depending on how much sugar is in the blood.
The study followed new mothers because the insulin resistance that occurs during pregnancy makes it possible to determine their future risk of type 2 diabetes. 306 participants were recruited during pregnancy, between 2003 and 2014, and underwent comprehensive cardiometabolic testing, including glucose challenge tests, at one, three, and five years after giving birth. The glucose challenge test measures glucose and insulin levels at varying time points after a person has had a sugary drink containing 75 grams of glucose and following a period of fasting.
While commonly used in medical practice, the interpretation of insulin levels from the test can be misleading if one does not account for baseline blood sugar. “It’s not just about insulin levels; it’s about understanding them in relation to glucose,” Dr. Retnakaran said, pointing out that this is where many past interpretations fell short. A better measurement is the corrected insulin response (CIR) that accounts for baseline blood glucose levels, and which is slowly gaining prominence in the field, he said.
The study revealed some surprising trends. As the corrected insulin response increased, there was a noticeable worsening in waist circumference, HDL (good cholesterol) levels, inflammation, and insulin resistance, if one did not consider accompanying factors. However, these seemingly negative trends were accompanied by better beta-cell function. Beta cells produce insulin, and their ability to do so is closely associated with diabetes risk – the better the beta cell function, the lower the risk.
“Our findings do not support the carbohydrate-insulin model of obesity,” said Dr. Retnakaran. “We observed that a robust post-challenge insulin secretory response—once adjusted for glucose levels—is only associated with the beneficial metabolic effects”.
“Not only does a robust post-challenge insulin secretory response not indicate adverse cardiometabolic health, but rather it predicts favorable metabolic function in the years to come.”
There are practitioners who subscribe to this notion of higher insulin levels being a bad thing, and sometimes are making recommendations to patients to limit their insulin fluctuations after the meal. But it’s not that simple
In the long run, higher corrected insulin response levels were linked with better beta-cell function and lower glucose levels, without correlating with BMI, waist size, lipids, inflammation, or insulin sensitivity or resistance. Most importantly, women who had the highest CIR had a significantly reduced risk of developing pre-diabetes or diabetes in the future.
“This research challenges the notion that high post-meal insulin levels are inherently bad and is an important step forward in our understanding of the complex roles insulin plays in regulation of metabolism,” said Anne-Claude Gingras, Director of LTRI and Vice-President of Research at Sinai Health.
Dr. Retnakaran hopes their findings will reshape how medical professionals and the public view insulin's role in metabolism and weight management.
“There are practitioners who subscribe to this notion of higher insulin levels being a bad thing, and sometimes are making recommendations to patients to limit their insulin fluctuations after the meal. But it’s not that simple,” he said.
END
Post-meal insulin surge not a villain, says new research
The research upends the notion that insulin surge following food intake is a bad thing.
2023-12-14
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Body dissatisfaction linked with depression risk in children
2023-12-14
Body dissatisfaction at age 11 is linked to increased risk of depression by age 14, finds a new longitudinal study led by UCL researchers.
The findings, published in The Lancet Psychiatry, show that body image concerns explain a large proportion of an association between body mass index (BMI) and depression in children, particularly in girls.
The study, supported by Wellcome, involved 13,135 participants of the Millennium Cohort Study, a UCL-led nationally representative birth cohort study of people born between 2000 and 2002.
The researchers found that high BMI at age seven was linked with increased depressive symptoms (which can include low mood, loss of pleasure ...
Study explores accuracy of computerized ADHD test
2023-12-14
A new study cautions against using the QbTest as a standalone diagnostic or screening tool for ADHD.
Rather, the study authors highlight the intended use of the QbTest as a component of a full clinical assessment, since it could help clinicians reach faster diagnostic decisions and reduce waiting lists.
Researchers from the Universities of Southampton, Nottingham, Cardiff, and King’s College London explored the accuracy and clinical utility of a widely used computerised test for Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), called the QbTest. They found that, when used on its own, QbTest is not good enough ...
Researcher says men should abstain from drinking at least three months prior to conceiving
2023-12-14
Researchers at Texas A&M University have already shown that paternal drinking habits prior to conception can have a negative effect on fetal development — with semen from men who regularly consume alcohol impacting placenta development, fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS)-associated brain and facial defects, and even IVF outcomes.
In an article published this month in Andrology, the lab of Dr. Michael Golding has now demonstrated that it takes much longer than previously believed, longer than a month, for the effects of alcohol consumption to leave the father’s ...
Was the earthquake induced or natural? New study tests frameworks to answer the question
2023-12-14
Using questionnaires created to determine whether a particular earthquake is natural or induced by human activity, a panel of experts concluded that the November 2022 magnitude 5.2 Peace River earthquake sequence in Alberta, Canada was likely to be induced.
The case study published in Seismological Research Letters was a serendipitous test of two recent questionnaire-based frameworks established to distinguish natural and induced earthquakes, the latter of which are mostly caused by hydraulic fracturing or injected water disposal wells associated with oil and gas recovery.
The Peace River ...
Making probiotics more widely applicable through ‘CRISPR’ engineering
2023-12-14
Humans can benefit significantly from symbiotic relationships with probiotics—live bacteria and microorganisms that influence the gut microbiota. When consumed in appropriate amounts, probiotics can promote gut health, support the immune system, and enhance metabolism.
Probiotics, widely regarded as a treasure in the field of microbiology, are currently finding new applications in medicine, animal care, and the food industry. However, it is often challenging to use probiotics in their existing form, owing to varying effects ...
Decoding the ‘chassis effect”: host physiology emerges as key predictor
2023-12-14
Synthetic biology is a growing discipline of science that involves redesigning naturally occurring organisms to express new, useful attributes. These engineered organisms can be used to address issues unresolved by conventional methods.
Broad-host-range (BHR) synthetic biology is an emerging domain that aims to expand the pool of model hosts or ‘chassis,’ by utilizing the rich diversity of the naturally evolving microbial world. The chassis provides a platform for the expression of ...
Texas A&M researcher says men should abstain from drinking at least three months prior to conceiving
2023-12-13
By Courtney Price, Texas A&M University School of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences
Researchers at Texas A&M University have already shown that paternal drinking habits prior to conception can have a negative effect on fetal development — with semen from men who regularly consume alcohol impacting placenta development, fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS)-associated brain and facial defects, and even IVF outcomes.
In an article published this month in Andrology, ...
CUNY SPH partners with UNFPA on campaign to end gender-based violence
2023-12-13
New York, NY | December 13, 2023 – The CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy (CUNY SPH) has partnered with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) on the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence campaign, an initiative to bring global awareness to the widespread issue of gender-based violence, a pervasive public health threat.
The 16 Days campaign was launched in 1991 at the first Women’s Global Leadership Institute held by the Center for Global Women’s Leadership (CGWL), with the goal of raising awareness ...
The A+ team tackles AI and quantum computing hardware
2023-12-13
NEWPORT NEWS, VA – Superconducting technologies are the lifeblood of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility in its ongoing mission to probe the quarks and gluons inhabiting the quantum universe.
Superconducting radiofrequency (SRF) technology, a core competency of Jefferson Lab, is used to accelerate the fundamental electron particles in the lab’s Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility, enabling researchers from around the world to conduct cutting-edge experiments to study the fundamental building blocks of matter. With the investment from DOE’s Office ...
Can telehealth assessments identify infants more likely to be on the autism spectrum?
2023-12-13
Is it possible to identify infants more likely to be on the autism spectrum through telehealth assessments? The UC Davis MIND Institute’s Meagan Talbott, a professional researcher in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, has received a $3.2 million grant to seek the answer to that question. The five-year grant is from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.
Talbott is now recruiting for a national study of 120 infants, 6-12 months of age, who are showing delays or differences in their development. Parents might have questions about autism or other conditions, but ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
Illegal shark product trade evident in Australia and New Zealand
New search tool brings 21% better accuracy for robotics developers
New model extracts sentence-level proof to verify events, boosting fact-checking accuracy for journalists, legal teams, and policymakers
Efficient carbon integration of CO₂ in propane aromatization over acidic zeolites
FPGA-accelerated AI for demultiplexing multimode fiber towards next-generation communications
Vitamin D3 nanoemulsion significantly improves core symptoms in children with autism: A clinical trial
Microfluidic point-of-care device accurately measures bilirubin in blood serum: A pilot study
Amygdalin shows strong binding and stabilizing effects on HER2 receptor: A computational study for breast cancer therapy
Bond behavior of FRP bars in concrete under reversed cyclic loading: an experimental study
Milky Way-like galaxy M83 consumes high-speed clouds
Study: What we learned from record-breaking 2021 heat wave and what we can expect in the future
Transforming treatment outcomes for people with OCD
Damage from smoke and respiratory viruses mitigated in mice via a common signaling pathway
New software tool could help better understand childhood cancer
Healthy lifestyle linked to lower diverticulitis risk, irrespective of genetic susceptibility
Women 65+ still at heightened risk of cervical cancer caused by HPV
‘Inflammatory’ diet during pregnancy may raise child’s diabetes type 1 risk
Effective therapies needed to halt rise in eco-anxiety, says psychology professor
Nature-friendly farming boosts biodiversity and yields but may require new subsidies
Against the odds: Endometriosis linked to four times higher pregnancy rates than other causes of infertility, new study reveals
Microplastics discovered in human reproductive fluids, new study reveals
Family ties and firm performance: How cousin marriage traditions shape informal businesses in Africa
Novel flu vaccine adjuvant improves protection against influenza viruses, study finds
Manipulation of light at the nanoscale helps advance biosensing
New mechanism discovered in ovarian cancer peritoneal metastasis: YWHAB restriction drives stemness and chemoresistance
New study links blood metabolites and immune cells to increased risk of urolithiasis
Pyruvate identified as a promising therapeutic agent for ulcerative colitis by targeting cytosolic phospholipase A2
New insights into the clinical impact of IKBKG mutations: Understanding the mechanisms behind rare immunodeficiency syndromes
Displays, imaging and sensing: New blue fluorophore breaks efficiency records in both solids and solutions
Sugar, the hidden thermostat in plants
[Press-News.org] Post-meal insulin surge not a villain, says new researchThe research upends the notion that insulin surge following food intake is a bad thing.