Home Endocrine systemDiabetes Does insulin make you gain weight? Causes and treatment

Does insulin make you gain weight? Causes and treatment

by Alivia Nyhan
Published: Last Updated on

The key to human metabolism is insulin, a hormone produced by pancreatic cells called beta cells. This hormone is responsible for exercising important and determining functions in human health, such as regulating blood sugar levels.

There are many myths and truths around the issue of insulin, which can generate concern in diabetic patients precisely at the time of compliance with treatment, something that you do not have to choose but to take and accept as a lifestyle once the doctor has diagnosed you. FastlyHealwill really explain to you if it is true that insulin makes you fat and other curiosities of insulin.

Insulin and its effects on the body

Insulin can act decisively in several essential points of the body’s metabolism :

  1. It plays a vital role in the appetite.
  2. Regulates body weight.
  3. Acts on the metabolism of fats

It does all this by storing the glucose that circulates in the blood after eating food, using it as an energy source to perform essential human functions.

Type 2 diabetes is associated with two particular forms of insulin. The first one is related to insulin deficiency, which characterizes this disease because there is a loss of significant weight. The second is cell resistance using appropriate insulin, whose symptom is weight gain.

Is it true that insulin makes you fat?

It is undoubtedly a myth to believe that insulin makes you fat. In short, insulin cannot gain weight just by administering it.

This is one of the many reasons the diabetic patient refuses to use his insulin treatment. However, it is wrong.

But why then is this false belief? Before administering insulin, the patient tends to maintain high blood glucose levels. Therefore this will be eliminated directly by the kidney, that is, through the urine, also losing all the calories necessary to body functioning by losing a significant amount of weight.

Poorly controlled diabetes mellitus is known to impact bodyweight directly.

Once the insulin treatment has been started for diabetic people, a process that should be normal will be regulated, it being possible for glucose to enter the cells usually and with that regain the lost weight, in this way, the loss of a quantity is avoided significant kilocalories in urine going directly to cells.

A diabetic person who is not controlled tends to assume weight loss but mistakenly faces it with the increase in daily food intake; Once this process is regulated through the use of insulin, an optimal food diet should be adjusted for the patient since the same amount of calories is being consumed as when there was a significant loss through the urine, accumulating them and gaining weight in a way Relevant, this is the real reason why there is a false belief that insulin makes you fat.

In the following FastlyHealarticle, we will talk about the diet for type 2 diabetes.

What to do to avoid gaining weight using insulin

Since it is already known that insulin alone does not cause weight gain, specific therapeutic measures must be taken into account to regulate body weight. The first and most important thing is to calculate is the number of calories that are ingested during the day; this is essential for all people who suffer from diabetes mellitus; managing to prevent weight gain directly, the ideal would be to eat fruits and vegetables in the diet, also taking into consideration that each meal contains all the necessary ingredients to cover the body’s energy needs. At a medical level, there is a fundamental rule when calculating calories after the administration of insulin for diabetics, which includes:

  • Half of the vegetables.
  • A quarter of protein.
  • A quarter of starch.

It is crucial to reduce the number of food portions associated with this. The nutritionist will be essential at this point.

  • Do not avoid eating. One of the common mistakes is to skip meals and thus lose calories. What is achieved using this method is that in the next meal to eat, include much more portion than is due to trying to replace the energy deficit; Likewise, it is associated with the fact that this generates high blood sugar concentrations, causing a lack of control in the insulin dose since it would undoubtedly be insufficient.
  • Performing exercises allows you to reduce calories. It is recommended to do approximately 30 minutes of low-intensity physical activity a day, including practices such as swimming, dancing, cycling, and even walking.
  • The use of insulin must be strict as indicated by the doctor without the need to adjust the dose; when in doubt, the important thing is to consult with the specialist who controls the health status of the diabetic patient.
  • Finally, it is essential to take into account the ideal time for administering insulin, which is just before meals, depending on the type of insulin.

Other myths about insulin

Other another most common myth among diabetic people is to believe that insulin alone can create some complications, which is not entirely true. Insulin allows you to take control of your life by regulating the concentrations of glucose in circulating blood, thus preventing all complications that a poorly controlled and decompensated diabetic has.

The second common myth concerning insulin is to believe that its injections are excruciating. This is usually really difficult at first due to the fear that it entails for the diabetic person who is just starting their treatment plan. However, as time goes by, this will become part of your daily routine, and it will not generate any pain or fear. On the contrary, the specialist indicated more fear tends to create by not using it at the right time.

Finally, a typical myth is that the use of insulin will limit the lifestyle. However, rather than taking a limiting attitude toward this, it is a matter of acceptance. Once the patient accepts diabetes as a condition of life, its quality will undoubtedly improve physical, emotional, and psychological energy.

Remember that the doctor is the one who can treat a health problem. Diabetic people must take certain precautions from the beginning, always taking into consideration that improving their lifestyle is the fundamental key to prolonging and improving the patient’s health.

This article is merely informative. At FastlyHeal .com, we do not have the power to prescribe medical treatments or make any diagnosis. We invite you to see a doctor if you present any condition or discomfort.

If you want to read more articles similar to Is it true that insulin makes you fat? We recommend that you enter our Endocrine System category.

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