Many people will insist that dietary fat doesn't cause a rise in postprandial blood glucose, but that's because fat is not food. It doesn't significantly raise postprandial insulin, so exaggerated glucose dumping caused by hyperglucagonemia, is safely hidden from sight. But, what the dietary fat intake is causing, instead, is for basal insulin levels to rise, increasing the overall resistance and exacerbating the next postprandial glucose dump.
Obese people always have a higher insulin demand. For this reason, you should not focus, myopically, on short term insulin response from diet alone. The body also has a long term insulin demand, which is heavily influenced by the amount of energy the body is trying to keep in storage, while it uses the energy from diet.
Eating excess dietary fat only contributes to a higher insulin demand due to increased storage and withholding of energy, especially when there already is a large amount of body fat to contend with. Higher insulin will only disrupt blood glucose regulation further, in the long run.
If the protocol you are following is not improving postprandial blood glucose control, when consuming actual food, then it's a fail.
2. I can eat anything, as long as it fits "my macros".
The diet you choose to follow should be based on nothing other than your goals, because every diet is goal specific. Even the same diet can be followed in different ways to yield different results. If your goal is better metabolic health, that is is vital that the diet is targeting proper blood glucose regulation, first and foremost. This means that when you are following a diet for the treatment of metabolic dysfunction, NO, you cannot "eat to your macros". You must "eat to your blood glucose".
If you are a bodybuilder, who is getting ready for a competition, you can eat to your macros. If you are obesity resistant, trying to lose a few pounds and/or maintain your weight, you can eat to your macros. If you are otherwise fit and metabolically healthy, you can eat to your macros. But, if you are on this blog, then none of those circumstances describe you.
"Eating to your macros" does not guarantee that your blood glucose will not be impacted. Some people experience blood glucose disruption, while following seemingly great macros. This is why macros are so individualized. Aside from macros, food quality has an impact on blood glucose homeostasis.
Sorry metabolically sick people, but your ability to follow a simple calorie centered dietary protocol, where a "calorie is just a calorie" and anything goes as long as it "fits your macros", are long past you. You do not possess the metabolic flexibility for this to apply to you.
3. Can protein cause hunger?
Protein is the macronutrient of satiety, but in certain cases, insulin resistance interferes with this benefit, due to hormone dysregulation. Protein is a unique macronutrient. It is the only macronutrient that can temporarily halt fat burning, without increasing glucose burning. This can cause an increase in ghrelin, because protein does not increase insulin enough to suppress ghrelin, but just enough to suppress free fatty acid metabolism. Free fatty acid metabolism helps regulate ghrelin, as it's a sign to the body, that there is sufficient energy.
Some people with insulin resistance, who are very insulin sensitive at the level of the fat cell, suppress free fatty acids more strongly than normal, so they can become hungrier after protein meals. This does not occur in healthy people. Also, not all people with insulin resistance experience this. It all depends on insulin's action on your fat cells.
The effect is mostly experienced when consuming certain types of proteins like lean chicken or seafood. Because not all proteins are created equal, you should focus on red meat, if you are having this problem. As insulin resistance resolves, this issue goes away.
4. Eating earlier is better.
Eating earlier, for the obese, is advantageous because it allows longer periods of very low insulin during the night time fast. Insulin should drop to its lowest level while sleeping so it does not interfere with low blood glucose, dropping it too low. That is only a recipe for the body to double down on raising blood glucose set points.
5. Some people can eat whatever they want and not become obese. How is this even possible?
This is because some people can sustain their blood glucose regulation for longer than others. They are "obesity resistant". This is mostly genetic but there are other factors that can play into this such as age, gender, body composition, overall metabolic health, chronic conditions and medications.
Sorry metabolically sick people, but your ability to follow a simple calorie centered dietary protocol, where a "calorie is just a calorie" and anything goes as long as it "fits your macros", are long past you. You do not possess the metabolic flexibility for this to apply to you.
3. Can protein cause hunger?
Protein is the macronutrient of satiety, but in certain cases, insulin resistance interferes with this benefit, due to hormone dysregulation. Protein is a unique macronutrient. It is the only macronutrient that can temporarily halt fat burning, without increasing glucose burning. This can cause an increase in ghrelin, because protein does not increase insulin enough to suppress ghrelin, but just enough to suppress free fatty acid metabolism. Free fatty acid metabolism helps regulate ghrelin, as it's a sign to the body, that there is sufficient energy.
Some people with insulin resistance, who are very insulin sensitive at the level of the fat cell, suppress free fatty acids more strongly than normal, so they can become hungrier after protein meals. This does not occur in healthy people. Also, not all people with insulin resistance experience this. It all depends on insulin's action on your fat cells.
The effect is mostly experienced when consuming certain types of proteins like lean chicken or seafood. Because not all proteins are created equal, you should focus on red meat, if you are having this problem. As insulin resistance resolves, this issue goes away.
4. Eating earlier is better.
Eating earlier, for the obese, is advantageous because it allows longer periods of very low insulin during the night time fast. Insulin should drop to its lowest level while sleeping so it does not interfere with low blood glucose, dropping it too low. That is only a recipe for the body to double down on raising blood glucose set points.
5. Some people can eat whatever they want and not become obese. How is this even possible?
This is because some people can sustain their blood glucose regulation for longer than others. They are "obesity resistant". This is mostly genetic but there are other factors that can play into this such as age, gender, body composition, overall metabolic health, chronic conditions and medications.
Obesity resistant people are quite rare, as they can retain insulin sensitivity, in their tissues, even as they age because they are "resistant" to blood glucose abnormalities. They also have low grade insulin resistance at their fat mass, excellent glucose control and insulin levels, and homeostasis of their metabolic hormones, even in the context of high carbohydrate intake. They are super leptin sensitive and their fat mass functions as it should.
These are all great things to have as it seems like they can eat just about anything, in any amount, and never become obese. It is actually difficult for them to gain any weight whatsoever. But, a lot of people who are obesity resistant while young, slowly lose it as they become older. They can also lose it if they develop a chronic condition such as auto immune disease. Very rarely does obesity resistance continue on into older ages, but it does happen. Seems great in modern society, but it would have been a death sentence during a hunter/gatherer famine.
6. Young people seem to eat whatever they want and not become obese.
When you are still growing, you can better control your blood glucose regulation. Insulin function is more targeted and growing tissue is more responsive to it. Insulin is a growth hormone, not an obesity hormone, even though it is necessary for gaining fat, as it grows fat mass. If you are still growing, the energy in donuts will be used for these responsive growing tissues and so the donuts energy is dispersed, throughout the body. If you push your donut eating too far, though, you can become an obese teenager, but for the most part, you can get away with it.
An adult, on the other hand, who no longer has any requirement for growth, is more sensitive to blood glucose abnormalities. They have tissues that are already not very responsive to insulin, since there is no need for them to be. Now insulin can mainly contribute to the growth of their fat mass instead, since fat tissue usually remains insulin sensitive for life.
6. Young people seem to eat whatever they want and not become obese.
When you are still growing, you can better control your blood glucose regulation. Insulin function is more targeted and growing tissue is more responsive to it. Insulin is a growth hormone, not an obesity hormone, even though it is necessary for gaining fat, as it grows fat mass. If you are still growing, the energy in donuts will be used for these responsive growing tissues and so the donuts energy is dispersed, throughout the body. If you push your donut eating too far, though, you can become an obese teenager, but for the most part, you can get away with it.
An adult, on the other hand, who no longer has any requirement for growth, is more sensitive to blood glucose abnormalities. They have tissues that are already not very responsive to insulin, since there is no need for them to be. Now insulin can mainly contribute to the growth of their fat mass instead, since fat tissue usually remains insulin sensitive for life.
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