Insulin
Insulin is peptide hormone largely responsible for metabolic activity surrounding carbohydrates and fats as well
as protein absorption. By its mode of action insulin forces glucose into the muscles and stores it as glycogen;
however, as this is a primary role it also causes fatty tissue to take in glucose as well. Insulin actually
prohibits fat from being used as an energy source and forces us to rely solely on carbohydrates as fuel.
However, once blood glucose levels fall we again use stored fat as an energy source until more carbohydrates
are introduced into our body and insulin is released once again forcing glycogen to again be stored. Insulin
has other functions in the body beyond forcing glycogen into the muscles, such as mental function regarding
comprehension and memory but it is the primary role we are concerned with and that falls into the category
of anabolic traits.
Insulin 101:
Insulin is a peptide hormone comprised of 51 amino acids produced in the pancreas. Production of insulin
is triggered by stimulus when carbohydrates and proteins are consumed. The higher the consumption of stimuli,
the greater the insulin release and the larger amount of glycogen forced into the muscles and the higher the
rate of protein absorption; this should begin to give you an idea of how powerfully anabolic insulin is and it
is for this reason many people supplement with it for performance enhancing purposes; unfortunately there is
little room for error because irresponsible use will in-fact kill you.
Insulin Attributes:
Insulin is one of the more complex hormones in the body and we could go into great depth explaining every
last aspect and have you reading until your eyes bleed but if you’re like most you simply want to know what the
benefits and attributes of the hormone are. As it pertains to insulin we naturally produce and insulin we take
in exogenously the attributes are the same; however, through exogenous use we simply enhance them. Insulin
attributes include and are not limited to:
- Increasing protein efficiency
- Increasing bone density
- Increasing IGF levels in the body
- Increasing binding ability of anabolic steroids
- Forces glycogen into the muscles providing a more anabolic process
By supplementing with insulin we as you can easily see creates a more highly anabolic machine, however,
there are many downsides to supplemental use and for the majority it is a hormone you should never touch.
Insulin can greatly and rapidly increase body-fat. As you recall from above, insulin causes the body to ignore
stored fat for an energy source and when excess carbohydrates are taken in our insulin levels spike, we release
an abundant amount.
Is Supplemental Insulin for you?
Nine times out of ten the answer is no; the level of danger aside most simply don’t need it and most who use it
will only gain fat. However, for the true hard-gainer, which most are not, supplemental insulin can help them break
through a plateau when increased muscle mass is the goal. All other avenues should be exhausted before insulin even
becomes a thought, after all, as mentioned the substance will kill you dead on the spot if administered without caution
and improperly.
When we eat carbohydrates our body naturally releases insulin but when we take in exogenous insulin we must accompany
it with the necessary amounts of carbohydrates; failure to do so will result in a crash that places you in a coma. Year
after year many individuals experiment with insulin and fail to take in the necessary amount of carbohydrates and die.
Understand, supplemental insulin use will require massive carbohydrate consumption and the higher the dose the higher the
consumption will need to be. A protein shake with some dextrose powder is not going to get the job done; most insulin users
will consume hundreds of grams of carbohydrates in order to remain safe and alive.
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