Interestingly insulin levels will rise in response to low salt in a low carb diet as the low insulin from a low carb diet will increase sodium loss through the kidneys. The way the body retains sodium is via insulin. Adding salt is understood by most low carb eaters following a low insulin inducing way of eating to relieve the symptoms of ‘keto flu’ - including a feeling of sluggishness.
The reason to highlight this is for bio-hackers who like to track their blood test values over time.
Fasting insulin can be one bio-marker that is outwardly, seemingly illogical in it’s response to what the biohacker tries with their diet. @ctviggen Bob is one to note this variability.
For example, a person who may be eating low carb ketogenic will see a gradual drop in their fasting insulin, if their pancreas is healthy enough, over time. This is in response to the reduced intake and reduced frequency of intake of carbohydrate rich foods.
Then there are those low carb ketogenic eaters who hit a plateau in weight loss/ body fat loss, many experience this as they get closer to their idea of their ideal weight. (It is better labelled “idea weight” than “ideal weight”, as this reduces the frustration and stress hormone responses in not being able to achieve it.)
But people are stubborn. So, they try another phase in low carb eating based on the n=1 evidence that low carb keto almost got them what they wanted. They move to zero carb.
Interestingly there is a zero carb suggestion, despite the diet being very low carbohydrate, to not add salt, like a ketogenic eater would. What’s with that? The carbohydrates are still very low, so a logical presumption is that the insulin response will be low, and subsequently the body is losing sodium and other minerals in response. But the zero carb carnivores that are finding benefit say they don’t get muscle cramps or other symptoms of electrolyte imbalance. We don’t hear as much from any of the ones struggling with a way of eating (struggling with WOE), be it carnivore, keto, vegetarian or vegan.
Here is my guess at an answer for why zero carb carnivores don’t add salt:
It is from n=1. After a few months of carnivore challenges I had some blood work done. The usual fasting insulin that was pretty steady on keto of 9 had doubled to 18. This was counterintuitive, but not surprising. During runs of strict carnivore eating I noted that my fasting blood glucose becomes raised and that blood ketones reduce. This is happening currently. So I surmise that on very low carb that insulin rises in a response to sodium depletion (if not supplemented), a non-glucose rise. In addition a sympathetic nervous system response is initiated on a ‘zero carb’ way of eating that brings up the level of cortisol and stimulates the kidney hormones of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone axis to compensate. That elevates blood glucose as an internal mechanism, a ‘stress’ response (how to get increased blood glucose without eating carbs) and subsequently raises blood insulin.
I reckon the very low carb, zero carb carnivore way of eating may be an insulinogenic diet for some practitioners. I would like to find out if that is so.
I do not think the blood glucose rise is due to a higher protein diet and gluconeogenesis (GNG), as that process is demand driven (not pathological).
I’d be interested in your thoughts and comments.
Particularly I would like to know if any keto-carnivore biohackers are finding increased fasting blood insulin results on a ‘zero carb’ approach (please stipulate if you supplement salt)?
