Insulin Index of Foods. The new solution of weight management.

lexcoulstring

Hey everyone,

So I been focused on the glycemic index for years as I am a T2D. I can literally predict my level of sugar increase in my blood after foods I eat based on the glycemic index.

However and oddly enough I just discovered this new "Insulin Index". This research consists of people trying different foods and after a couple hours, measure the insulin response.

As many of us know and perhaps many of us don't know. Insulin Response is bad on a consistent basis and level of response. Type 2 Diabetic's it's worse because for the most common type of T2D, our body resists the hormone Insulin sent to the blood to reduce the sugars that we just took in by eating.

Too much insulin prevent the break down of body fat to be turned into ketones for energy. So our goal is to combine a diet based on foods that are both low in sugar and low in insulin response.

However, to my surprise not all foods we would expect to spike an insulin response actually does and vice versa not all foods we feel safe to eat because of the next to zero carb count "actually" does spike an insulin response.

Just to give you a quick example. "Lean Beef" triggers a larger insulin response than "white pasta". Which is just mind blowing. I have already applied much of this discovery on my diet. As I used to eat alot of beef to keep my carbs down. As you will discover, fat barely registers on the insulin index. So one of my changes was to replace lean beef with more fatty beef. As the old saying goes "Fat does not make you Fat" we all know this, but the other benefit of lots of fat is that it does not trigger an insulin response.

Please share you thoughts on this. I hope this helps people with weight management. While I am trying to reduce my overall fat % to get more lean, my concern of my health is more based on the fact I have T2D.

[edited by mfp staff]

PAV8888

Not being directly affected this, it is not something I've looked into a lot, but it appears to me that impaired insulin reaction to food intake is complex and individualized and dependent on what was happening before/after intake both in terms of types of food and quantities consumed but also in terms of activity.

It is also fairly apparent that individual reactions to foods (and quantities and mixes) are not always the same between individuals.

Therefore starting from general guidelines and then going on to evaluate how you react to specific items, combinations, and quantities is probably quite a valuable exercise for someone who wants to maximize their nutrition options while minimizing impact on health

Same as glycemic index and glycemic load have proven useful to millions but not proven to be absolutely universal answers applicable to everyone equally, I would expect any other site or theory to have a similar degree of success. You start from guidelines and then investigate your individual response... Unless you happen to think that, say, lean beef, in say 3oz portions, is a universal diabetic trigger!!!

You will get leaner by eating less calories than you expend. Whether that is accomplished by reduction of fat intake (or not) will not determine the degree of stored fat reduction from your body

lexcoulstring

Thank you for your feedback and some good insight on your part . I did have links to case studies but the moderator deleted my post. I guess if someone is interested, then they can google it.

PAV8888

Looks like a potentially useful take on / departure from / adjunct to glycemic index and glycemic load, directly comparing isocaloric intake of foods to the insulin response they generate during the first 2 hours after they've been consumed.

My own caveat being anecdotal information from these boards that this might prove a useful guideline that should still be evaluated by people individually and which would still be dependent on what else is happening at the same time.

Your insulin response will not be the same if you're eating right after / before physical activity or exercise and for better or worse **what else you ingest at the same time and the quantities** are likely to affect your body's response. The same applies in terms of whether you're having the meal after being in a caloric deficit or surplus in your recent past. i.e. **full meals have more complex interactions** than the isolated response to individual items.

So useful? Looks like it could well be.
I actually *like* the isocaloric aspect.
But, then again, an isocaloric comparison of ketchup to hamburger won't necessarily solve much!

HawkingRadiation

Isn't this what the South Beach Diet was all about? The insulin index of foods?

I believe the issue with that idea was that eating a food in isolation produces a different insulin response than eating it with other foods. So mixing ingredients produced an unpredictable insulin response.

psuLemon

Overall, i think you are trying to major in the minors, even as a T2D. Most long term studies show equivalent fat loss in very low carb diets and managed carb diets with T2D.

Second, the insulin index was developed by a PhD student working on her thesis and has been developed since then, IIRC. But even so, insulin only inhibits lipolysis, it doesn't prevent fat oxidation. But what is even more important, is that its a transient change and will return to baseline within a short period of time, depending on the amount of carbs and protein you eat, but it would also be affected by fiber and fat consumption. And that is where the insulin index falls short. Its based on food consumption in isolation, which doesn't align to normal eating patterns.

Third, replacing protein with fat is generally a poor choice. Protein supports muscle retention, metabolism, strong bodies and much more. Fats do not. And unless you have a seizure disorder, replacing protein with fat generally doesn't support ones fitness goals. There is just no better macronutrient to focus on during fat loss.

Fourth, the best way to improve your health and put T2D in remission is fat loss and muscle gains. Lifting improves insulin sensitivity (unlike cardio) and so does weight loss. Focusing on carbs and protein without the fat loss component, is slowing down the process. Study, after study, demonstrates this. So at least a 10% reduction in fat loss, should be the focus. If you are one of the few that are lean, and have T2D, then increased muscle mass should be a focus.

lexcoulstring

Thank you guys. Like everything in the world of fitness and food. I like to hear your views. I am honestly doing what seems to be helping me loose those few pounds of fat that linger what seems like forever and working on getting a leaner body. Not to mention healthier.

While there is some oddities in the list of foods that spike insulin in the insulin index, I find most of the info to be "common sense" if you know your food carbs, fat and protein. As well as have studied the GI chart.

Thanks again guys! Appreciate your feedback.

Tealady02762

My son has T1D and we track everything single piece of food he eats and how his blood
sugar responds and all I can say is this - trying to predict biological responses to glucose and insulin can drive you crazy! He can have exactly the same thing and have totally different responses on any given day. That said, one thing we know for sure is that it isn’t any one food type that matters in relation to managing his blood sugar, it is the combination of fat/protein/carbs. Healthy versions of all is what is important.

psuLemon

While this is focused on glycemic control, it would have similar impacts as insulin. All based on a very well designed study.

https://youtu.be/EBh6JHP2it8

lexcoulstring

kcrowley21 wrote: »

My son has T1D and we track everything single piece of food he eats and how his blood
sugar responds and all I can say is this - trying to predict biological responses to glucose and insulin can drive you crazy! He can have exactly the same thing and have totally different responses on any given day. That said, one thing we know for sure is that it isn’t any one food type that matters in relation to managing his blood sugar, it is the combination of fat/protein/carbs. Healthy versions of all is what is important.

I totally agree. The insulin and glycemic index is an overall reference. But when you compare the two, it still shares the same results for the most part. Just thought this would be a new insight to read up about.