I’ve seen comments on this forum that eating too much - even keto - at one sitting causes the stomach to stretch which causes an insulin response. Is there any science behind that?
ETA: I mean insulin “spike”, as opposed to just an insulin “response”.
I have wondered about this myself - in terms of “satiety” and how different ghrelin levels impact feelings of satiety in huge ways. Satiety is very subjective and relative until people are fat-adapted (which apparently for some metabolically deranged and/or longtime medicated - it may take months or even a year or more before being stabilized in fat adaptation).
Addictive eaters may be better served by some attention to portion control until fully fat adapted - the fat adaptation with regard to food addiction involves recovery & healing processes that may require additional tools and community/medical case management support.
Re LCHF as a way of life, I wonder about such things as -
Is reduction of inflammation synched with stomach lining recovery and ghrelin levels? Is the primary factor always just proper levels of ketones to feed the brain so that the brain adjusts everything? Is nourishing the colon with butyrate-producting probiotics (SBOs) and or medicinal doses of resistant starch (RS) part of the entire satiety experience of the nervous system?
I know for myself, as a non-morbidly obese person, I have always prided myself on my feasting ability akin to more traditional food cultures where meals last a few hours and are combined with conversation and wine - in a world of food-ambivalent female socialization and having grown up with a diet-pills/diet-obsessed mother and sister. I have also been known to easily put away a store bought bag of salt & vinegar Kettle chips with oatmeal stout.
However, since going keto, my portion sizes on my low-carb feast days (2-3 a week while other days are IF) have naturally shrunken - as has my intake on OMAD windows. Without any effort! So has my desire for any bingeing crashed.
So, one would think that the macros for fat as well as strengthening my metabolism with IF and my digestion with Ginger capsules (a natural enzyme booster) and most recently a few tablespoons of RS (white basmati, chilled or refried) has been adjusting ghrelin levels and transforming the gastrointestinal tissue… Because satiety + fat burning + bloating reduction is happening with measurable results.
I’m sorry, that sounded pedantic now that I re-read it.
Yeah, aside from glucose hitting the pancreas, the incretins from the stomach will stimulate the release of insulin and they’ll signal if there’s protein coming in.
When the blood glucose is detected to be in the normal range, whatever yours physiologically is, the beta cells stop squirting and after a few minutes the insulin is back to normal. 3-6 minute half-life.
So if you’ve been im-moderate with the protein intake and you have GNG progressing, there’s going to be a longer curve than if for instance you’ve stimulated insulin with stevia sweetened coffee.
Thank you, that’s an interesting and useful explanation. I was finding it difficult to believe that insulin is produced when we eat, no matter what we are eating. Now it seems simple and obvious.
I can’t speak to the science, but it’s easy enough to do an n=1 test. And ultimately, that’s all that matters. Blood glucose is the most accessible proxy we have for insulin. Test your glucose levels right before your eat. Over consume a HFLC meal. Then test your glucose again @30, 60, and 120 minutes. If your glucose changes, it’s safe to assume there’s been an insulinogenic response.
