PCOS & Acne? Is it Insulin Resistance?
The two major conditions we see in our clinical practice are acne & PCOS, both of which can be exacerbated by a common denominator of Insulin Resistance.
But what is insulin resistance? And how do you reverse insulin resistance?
First, insulin resistance is a condition that develops over time that results in consistently elevated levels of the hormone insulin. It may resonate more with you as also being termed as being pre-diabetic.
Essentially, the cells of your liver, muscle and fat stop responding to the signals of insulin. This feedback loop causes the pancreas to pump out more insulin, which is ultimately the key driver for having elevated blood sugar levels.
Insulin resistance is often a key driver to acne, PCOS, weight gain, heavy periods, diabetes, osteoporosis, metabolic syndrome and even heart disease. To find out if insulin resistance may be causing your acne, you can find out the right testing to have done here
How to reverse insulin resistance with 5 easy steps
1. Balance your macronutrients.
Controlling blood sugar regulation requires a combination of creating the right composition of a meal with your carbohydrates, fats and protein. Make sure to choose the right types of carbohydrates
Carbohydrates
Now we don’t want to demonise carbs as the sole cause of insulin resistance. It’s all about the quantity of how much you’re having, the type of carbohydrate, whether it’s paired with fat and protein and the level of exercise you are doing alongside. If you have insulin resistance, the first thing you want to do is opt for lower GI foods. Lower GI carbohydrates are broken down quite steadily and slowly release glucose into the bloodstream, which is a lot easier for our cells to handle.
Aim for 1-2 serves of good quality carbohydrates per meal and for your breakfast to be fat & protein-rich (unless you’re exercising in the morning, bring in those carbs), although this does not apply to low GI vegetables which can be eaten in abundance
Fats
Fat is the GOAT at being able to reverse insulin resistance, because unlike carbohydrates and protein, it’s the only macronutrient that can’t break down into glucose. You need to choose the right type of fat to reverse insulin resistance though, opt for mostly monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, and reduce your saturated fat content where possible.
Aim for 1-2 servings of good quality fats per meal.
Think of foods like avocado, oily fish such as salmon or mackerel, nut butter, hummus, pesto, and olive oil.
Protein:
Make protein the absolute star of your meal, it’s one of the most important nutrients to make sure you’re having enough of to reverse insulin resistance. Whenever you’re figuring out what to eat, ask yourself “Where is my protein and is there enough?”
Aim for at least 120-140g of protein intake per day - we may equate this to 1.3-2g of protein per kg of body weight. Keeping in mind this is dependent on your individual goals and requirements.
Think of foods like eggs, kangaroo, barramundi, beans, legumes, chicken, turkey, beef, protein powder or high protein yoghurt
Fibre
Essentially, your fibre comes from your carbohydrates. So yes you still need carbohydrates because you need fibre. Fibre plays a crucial role in insulin resistance because it slows the breakdown of carbohydrates when consumed at the same time. See why we want all of the brown rice instead of white rice?
Aim for 25-30g of fibre per day.
It is also important to pair carbohydrates with a fat and protein source, because no matter the GI of that particular type of carb, the gradual release and breakdown into glucose will be stabilised if it's partnered with a fat and a protein source.
You can also use this little hack when it comes to the order of how you’re eating your food. Start with your fibre filled veggies, go for your source of protein, then your fat and then finally your carbohydrates
2. Manage stress.
Consistently elevated stress levels causes our stress hormone cortisol to increase. Cortisol’s main job is to convert stored glucose (glycogen) into glucose to keep up with our bodies' demands for stress. This manifests as poor sleep, anxiety, heart palpitations, weight gain around your waist, suppressed immune function and, you guessed it, insulin resistance.
Practicing mindfulness, meditating, acupuncture or kinesiology, doing yoga or tai chi, going for a walk, listening to music, ensuring you are eating enough, and taking the time out for yourself can all be small ways throughout your day to help mitigate stress.
3. Move your body
Movement and exercise improve the insulin sensitivity within your muscle cells. By increasing your muscle mass, you increase the mitochondria within them. Mitochondria are like little energy factories within your cells, which turn glucose into energy for you to use.
We often recommend a combination of strength/resistance training and of course, getting your steps in. Going for a 10-15 minute stroll after a large carbohydrate meal can help your body control the blood sugar response and long term reduce insulin resistance. If you’re exercising, make sure you are following Tip 1: Balance your macronutrients, to ensure you are consuming adequate amounts of protein to help with building and repairing your muscle.
4. Supplementation
Reversing insulin resistance can take time with lifestyle changes, so give your cells a little helping hand by supplementing with magnesium, zinc, chromium and inositol in order to improve your insulin receptor sensitivity. These nutrients will also support stress levels, immune system function, ovarian cell response to glucose and ovulation - all of which are important in reversing symptoms of insulin resistance such as acne and PCOS.
5. Sleep & adrenal support
We have all been sleep deprived at some point in our lives, and we noticeably see our ability to pay attention and move our bodies dwindle away as the day goes on. The “right” amount of sleep may be different from person to person, and individual reasons like children or shift work can create a barrier for you to get that sweet spot amount of sleep.
It has been shown that napping during the day to alleviate lost sleep is beneficial, but only if it won’t impact your main block of sleep. Insufficient sleep messes with our hormones, which regulate our blood sugar levels. If we are constantly sleep deprived, our bodies misregulate how much glucose we really need in our bodies at any given time. This feedback loop, you guessed it again, leads to insulin resistance.
Within the first 30 minutes of walking, you want to get outside and into the natural light to help regulate your circadian rhythm, and avoid artificial light late in the evenings.