Weight loss has become one of the top public health agenda. The rise in obesity affects every aspect of .health from reproductive and respiratory function to memory and mood. Obesity increases the risks of deadly diseases including diabetes, heart disease, and some types of cancer. So to cope with these health issues there is a need to educate people about the health dangers of being overweight or obese.
Excess sugar and calories
The addition of sugar in our foods has been increasing over the past few decades and has been become a main contributing factor to the increase of diabetes and obesity. The higher consumption of sugar leads to an increase in calories and its overconsumption can cause weight gain. Hence people who want to lose weight should eat fewer calories and expend more energy.
GLUCOSE TRANSPORTER 4 (GLUT4)
Glucose transporter 4, or GLUT4, is a naturally occurring protein in your body that can do amazing things with the extra sugar and calories in your body. To burn calories and, in this particular example, sugar, you need three biological processes:
- Sugar needs to reach the muscles through the bloodstream
- Then it needs to be transferred to the bloodstream and to the active muscles
- Where sugar is metabolized that is used to produce energy
While you begin an exercise, your body increases its transport and use of sugar (in the form of glucose) to the operating muscle mass which will produce energy and sustain the movement. As for exercise intensity increases, glucose transport and metabolism will also increase. Here GLUT4 steps in. GLUT4 is a protein that transports sugar into the muscle in order that it can be metabolized. When you aren’t exercising, GLUT4 is only activated via the release of insulin from the pancreas. However what’s really interesting is a technique referred to as “workout-precipitated glucose delivery”: exercise is the most effective different stimulus that activates GLUT 4 and, in flip, complements the transport of sugar into muscle cells for metabolism! In simple words, this means that an accelerated quantity of sugar enters your muscular tissues to be used for energy production.
How GLUT4 help with weight loss?
In order to lose weight, you need to consume calories (specifically those from sugar) and GULT4 is a key protein in that process.
GLUT4 supplement is best for weight loss. To lose weight you should replace sugar, sitting, and physical inactivity in your life with regular exercise.
Exercise Improves Glucose Transport
Studies found that resistance training improves insulin-mediated glucose transport, and enhances GLUT4 activity through muscular contraction. In simple words, if the muscle contractions are stronger and more frequent than then more GLUT4 is stimulated. This is more important for people with type 2 diabetes because their muscles are insulin resistant. That is, insulin does not work properly to move sugar into the muscles where it can be metabolized.
As a result, excessive amounts of sugar accumulate in the bloodstream, which promotes weight gain but is also toxic for your organs and nerves. To optimize the function of GLUT4 fitness trainers recommend you to take resistance training for at least 3 days a week for 45-60 mins. The workout program should include complete-body exercises and should end up steadily more challenging as your fitness and strength increase over time. Cardiovascular training should also be taken for a minimum of 30 min in a week.
How you can increase GLUT4?
Both insulin and exercise training is the most powerful stimulus to increase skeletal muscle GLUT4 expression an effect that may partly contribute to improved insulin action and glucose disposal and enhanced muscle glycogen storage. Glucose is the main fuel for contracting muscle, and normal glucose metabolism is important for health. Glucose enters the muscle cell through muscle facilitated diffusion across the GLUT4 glucose transporter which translocates from intracellular storage depots to the plasma membrane and T-tubules upon muscle contraction.
Insulin encourages glucose uptake by changing the subcellular distribution of glucose transporter 4 (Glut4) from intracellular stores to the plasma membrane, this process is called Glut4 translocation.
Diet tips to improve insulin resistance
Insulin resistance makes it difficult for the body’s cells to take in glucose. However, some
Dietary and lifestyle changes can help to increase their body’s sensitivity to insulin.
Other tips that can help you to reduce weight
The following dietary tips can help you to reduce weight.
- Drink water especially before meals
- Eat eggs for breakfast
- Drink green tea
- Try intermittent fasting
- Eat less refined carbs
- Go on a low carb diet
- Count calories
- Keep healthy foods around you in case you get hungry
- Take probiotic supplements
- Eat spicy foods
- Do aerobic exercise
- Eat more fruits and vegetables
- Get enough sleep
- Eat more protein
- Choose more slowly
- Eat whole single ingredient foods
- Don’t diet eat healthy instead
Foods to avoid
Avoiding or limiting the following foods can help you to reduce weight
- sweetened beverages such as fruit juices, soda, and fountain drinks
- Alcohols, especially beer and grain alcohol
- Processed snacks and boxed foods
- Sugary sweets, like cupcakes, ice cream, or chocolate bars
- Fried foods
- Foods high in saturated fats like chocolate, butter, and salt pork
- Baked foods like cookies, pastries, and other premade desserts
- White pasta and bread
- Sweetened yogurt
- Crackers and chips
Canned dried fruits (they contain more calories and sugar than fresh fruits)