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Do you remember how insulin stimulates the uptake of glucose into the cells? It does this for fat too. Not only does insulin encourage the uptake of fat into fat cells, it also inhibits fat’s release from them. In fact, insulin is the body’s chief ‘fat storage’ hormone, and taking steps to lower levels of this hormone is a good strategy for those seeking to attain and maintain a healthy weight.

Moreover, lowered insulin levels can help circumvent other problems. If, over many years we secrete relatively high levels of insulin, tissues and organs such as the muscles and brain can eventually become relatively unresponsive to insulin – a situation referred to as ‘insulin resistance’. But if our muscles and brain are not responding properly to insulin, and are not taking up sugar efficiently, they can be starved of fuel. When this happens, physical and mental energies usually suffer, and hunger and food cravings can be triggered too.

With insulin not doing its job properly, blood sugar levels will tend to be on the high side, causing the body to secrete more insulin in an effort to keep sugar in check. Remember, though, insulin drives fat storage – so the more insulin we secrete, generally the harder it is to maintain a healthy weight.

Ultimately, the body may become so unresponsive to insulin that sugar levels remain elevated no matter how much insulin is secreted and a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes may be made. Gluts of sugar and surges of insulin may also eventually cause the cells in the pancreas that make insulin to ‘burn out’, eventually causing levels of this hormone to fall. Some researchers have suggested that inadequate levels of poorly functioning insulin (what some are calling ‘type 3 diabetes’) is a significant underlying cause of Alzheimer’s disease.3

In Part 2 of this chapter we’re going to be looking at other important nutritional factors that can impact on our long-term health and sustainability, including the different forms of fat in the diet. However, at this stage, what is clear is that if we want a long, healthy, energized and productive life, it pays to have decent control over blood sugar levels. So, what to do?