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main job is to allow glucose to enter our cells so that it can be utilized for energy or stored away for later use (typically as fat). When the system is working well and we aren’t overloading our bodies with sugar (or producing tons of it from stress), we make just enough insulin and our cells hear insu- lin’s, “let that glucose in!” message loud and clear. Our cells open their doors for glucose to enter and they are suffi ciently fueled. The trouble begins when glucose levels run too high. With time, our cells get (literally) sick and tired of hearing insulin’s naggy voice, which is now extra loud and obnoxious. Our cells put in their earplugs so they don’t have to hear the racket, effectively tuning out insu- lin and restricting glucose’s entrance. This is also known as insulin resistance, a precursor to type 2 diabetes.
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Our fat cells are the exception to the
rule when it comes to ignoring insulin’s call. Even when our muscle and liver cells are re- sistant to insulin, fat cells remain in insulin’s posse. They like the company of glucose and accept insulin’s request to store extra glucose inside as fat. And where does this fat storage tend to take place? You guessed it, in all of the storage units right around your belly.
Remember leptin, the satiety hormone?
Well, high insulin levels have the tendency to block leptin. This means that your brain doesn’t get the message that you are full, so you throw back another handful of chips even though your belly is full and you know cogni- tively that you’ve had enough.
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els in check is important for weight management, and for the preven- tion of many diseases associated with insulin resistance such as type 2 diabetes, dementia, some cancers, stroke, and heart disease. Most of our insulin response is directly related to the foods we are putting into our mouths on a daily basis. Our insulin has to work hard and fast when we feed our- selves substances that are high in sugar or that quickly break down into
sugar once digested. Foods that contain re- fi ned sugars and grains such as white bread, white rice, baked goods, sweets, crackers, and cereals will take your insulin on a wild ride that ends in Fatsville. On the other hand, eating foods that were given to us by mother nature, in as close to their natural state as possible, leads to much less insulin spiking because these foods tend to also contain nutrients, fi ber, and protein which slow the absorption of glucose when digested.
Is Your Belly Fat Subcutaneous or Visceral? Knowing whether your belly fat is sub- cutaneous or visceral can be tricky, but a few simple measurements can help to determine your risk. For women, a waist circumfer- ence greater than 35 inches spells trouble, while for man a waist greater than 40 inches around is reason to take action. Waist-to-hip ratio is another way to determine whether you are at increased risk for cardiovascular disease and suggests that you may have too much visceral fat. This is done by measuring your waist at its narrowest point just above the belly button and measuring the hips at their widest point around the buttocks. Your waist measurement divided by your hip measurement gives your waist-to-hip ratio. For women, less than 0.85 is ideal. For men, the goal is less than 0.95.
Measuring Body Composition Most of us turn to the scale when moni- toring weight changes, but this provides only one piece of data (weight) and tells us noth- ing about how much fat and muscle we have under the surface. Other tools exist to help evaluate body composition and can be use- ful in tracking the positive changes in body fat percentage and lean muscle mass that come with successful dietary interventions.
Bioimpedance analysis (BIA) is a quick, easy method which sends a painless cur- rent through the body via several electrodes to measure resistance and reactance. These measurements are then used to calculate many body composition parameters such as fat mass, body fat percentage, fat free mass, skeletal muscle mass, and basal metabolic rate. BIA is an FDA-approved medical de- vice and is often used in research settings, speaking to its accuracy and legitimacy. BIA is utilized by some health coaches and medical providers who specialize in weight loss and is inexpensive and readily avail- able. Air displacement plethysmography, such as “BodPod,” involves sitting in a small machine which measures how much air is displaced by the body to calculate body mass. Dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry, or DEXA, is used to measure bone density in
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