Tips From The Professor: Leucine And Blood Sugar
Stephen Chaney
In preparing for a lecture on diabetes, I came across a very interesting article on leucine and blood sugar
control (Yang et al., Nutrition Reviews, 68: 270-279, 2010).
Many of you may remember that leucine is a branched chain amino acid that is found naturally in the proteins that we eat.
And, you may also recall from some of my recent "Tips From The Professor" that diets high in leucine can help you retain muscle mass when you are dieting and increase muscle mass when you were working out.
But, that's not all. The latest research suggests that diets high in leucine may help you keep your blood sugar under control.
It turns out that leucine helps make your pancreas more responsive to blood sugar swings.
Simply put, when your blood sugar starts to rise, your pancreas releases insulin more quickly if leucine is also present in the bloodstream. That means that you are less likely to experience hyperglycemia (high blood sugar levels).
And if that weren't enough, leucine appears to increase energy generation and reduce production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) by mitochondria - the power packs of your cell.
That might just give you more energy and slow the aging process.
Of course, leucine isn't a magic wand that will give you all the energy you want and perfect blood sugar control if you are eating more than you should and exercising less than you should.
But, just remember that if you are trying to lose weight, diets that are high in leucine have been shown to help you retain your muscle mass.
If you are exercising, diets that are high in leucine have been shown to help you increase muscle mass.
And, it now appears that those same high leucine diets may have even more benefits.
To Your Health!
Dr. Stephen Chaney
--Support this blog, purchase Shaklee Products!
Many of you may remember that leucine is a branched chain amino acid that is found naturally in the proteins that we eat.
And, you may also recall from some of my recent "Tips From The Professor" that diets high in leucine can help you retain muscle mass when you are dieting and increase muscle mass when you were working out.
But, that's not all. The latest research suggests that diets high in leucine may help you keep your blood sugar under control.
It turns out that leucine helps make your pancreas more responsive to blood sugar swings.
Simply put, when your blood sugar starts to rise, your pancreas releases insulin more quickly if leucine is also present in the bloodstream. That means that you are less likely to experience hyperglycemia (high blood sugar levels).
And if that weren't enough, leucine appears to increase energy generation and reduce production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) by mitochondria - the power packs of your cell.
That might just give you more energy and slow the aging process.
Of course, leucine isn't a magic wand that will give you all the energy you want and perfect blood sugar control if you are eating more than you should and exercising less than you should.
But, just remember that if you are trying to lose weight, diets that are high in leucine have been shown to help you retain your muscle mass.
If you are exercising, diets that are high in leucine have been shown to help you increase muscle mass.
And, it now appears that those same high leucine diets may have even more benefits.
To Your Health!
Dr. Stephen Chaney
--Support this blog, purchase Shaklee Products!
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