Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

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If someone is insulin resistant and uses fasting to help rebuild sensitivity (let's say a 1-meal-a-day approach), would their insulin levels really quickly become sensitive again, or would it adapt to these long fasting periods (and remain a bit insensitive)? Also--I feel like one could become more and more insulin insensitive (with increasingly bad dietary habits) but can it become TOO sensitive (VLC plus lots of fasting)? And would leptin react in similar ways?

edited Oct 28 2011 at 22:23

asked Jul 7 2011 at 16:20

Meghan
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I'm very interested in some responses. This question could have also been titled Martin Berkhan vs. Art Devany. Berkhan recommends the 16/8 daily fast while Devany is big on randomization. They both make good points. – henrydrn Jul 7 2011 at 19:18

Could you be more clear? Insulin levels don't become resistant or sensitive - tissue does. And what would being too insulin sensitive look like? – Ginnungagap Jul 7 2011 at 19:46

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VLC by nature will make your more insulin resitant – cliff Oct 27 2011 at 10:39

Right, VLC makes you insulin resistant because it's trying to protect your brain, which needs glucose. So if in response to insulin, and skeletal muscles or fat cells shunted glucose for storage, your brain and red blood cells wouldn't have enough. Perfectly normal to be somewhat insulin resistant on VLC. – raydawg Nov 26 2011 at 1:39

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Henry, it could be that both are right - one way doesn't necessarily fit all. – Wisper Nov 26 2011 at 1:46

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Nance · Answer 1 · 2011-12-10 01:13:20Z UTC

I won't speak to insulin resistance, because I'm not sure about my past and present status other than I've never been officially diagnosed as a diabetic.

I'm sure I was leptin resistant when I joined this lifestyle last April but by the number of waist inches lost I think I'm cooking on all burners now.

To answer your question, my body tries very hard to adapt to whatever I do:

Eat junk food constantly? Always hungry for junk food
Eat ancestrally? Junk food not appealing (okay, that took about 6 months) and fruit is a heavenly dessert
Eat once per day? No hunger until the time I usually eat
Eat at 9 am and in the afternoon? By the 3rd morning, I'm hungry at 9
Too busy to eat? Since I don't normally eat much after 4, not hungry that evening or before 9 the next day

The only serious disagreement between me and my gut is that it refuses to tolerate my wheat habit any longer. Other items appear to be negotiable.

Bill1102inf · Answer 2 · 2011-12-24 01:36:21Z UTC

While your body is 'adapting' to fasting its tissues are becoming more sensitive to insulin. I honestly do not know if there are any clinical studies that can correlate adaption to fasting and sensitivity to insulin, or even if that is possible. Some things that are certain which pertain to your questions are this:

'Adaption' to fasting. Your insulin levels go down and glucagon levels go up and blood sugar stabilizes. Once much of the glucose in your blood stream and glucose in your liver is used up your body ups enzymes to release and burn triglycerides as free fatty acids. Also, your liver starts making ketone bodies primarily for fuel for your brain.

I think I see that one of your questions is whether or not a human will become more insulin resistant (insensitive) if fasting, and the answer is no, in fact, it works the other way around.

There is no such thing as being 'too sensitive' to insulin. In a depleted state, insulin sensitivity is a good thing, moving glucose into muscles, the liver and FFA into fat. As a person looses body fat, their body becomes better at nutrient partitioning.

Kasra · Answer 3 · 2011-10-27 05:02:29Z UTC

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There's definitely some physiological adaptation to the routine in which you eat, but I doubt fasting would have a negative effect on insulin or leptin sensitivity.

answered Oct 27 2011 at 5:02

Kasra
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There's also claimed hormonal response to consistently eating at a certain time of day, although I have no references to back that up. – Wisper Nov 26 2011 at 1:45

Grehlin is definitely trained to meal timing. – Jeff Dec 24 2011 at 1:28

Samantha · Answer 4 · 2012-11-14 22:54:23Z UTC

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I just started fasting and a friend told me to look into insulin sensity too. Found this video on YouTube today http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKJXBTeBrgU&feature=colike

looks like fasting helps with insulin?

answered Nov 14 at 22:54

Samantha
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Do our bodies (specifically insulin) get used to fasting?

4 Answers