Silent Insulin Resistance Increases Your Risk of Depression

What do your blood sugar, cholesterol levels and triglycerides have to do with your mental health? They’re all quite connected, as it turns out. 

Gone are the days of us treating mental health issues as a purely psychological phenomenon. We now know that biological factors like inflammation, hormones and blood sugar greatly influence our state of mind. 

Insulin resistance is common and often ignored until it progresses to diabetes. This is unfortunate because science tells us that insulin resistance can impact our wellbeing even before it leads to diabetes. Research consistently shows a connection between insulin resistance and mental health. A 2021 study by Rasgon et. al. found that those with insulin resistance had an increased risk of developing major depressive disorder over the 9 year follow up period of the study–even for those who never had depression or anxiety in the past.

What is insulin resistance?

Insulin resistance is not a specific disease in the same way that we think about diabetes. Insulin resistance is a state that the body can be stuck in long before diabetes shows up. When the body is in a state of insulin resistance, it means that it’s ignoring (or resisting) the instructions that insulin is trying to give to your body: make use of that sugar! When the body ignores those instructions from insulin, sugar is not used well by various parts of the body so it remains floating in the blood stream leading to elevated blood sugar. 

It can be tricky to measure early stages of insulin resistance because it can fluctuate easily from moment to moment. There are many ways to test it and it’s common for some tests to come back normal and for others to show signs of insulin resistance. 

In the study mentioned above, researchers measured insulin resistance in three validated ways:

• They calculated the ratio of triglycerides to HDL

• They measured abdominal fat 

• They assessed fasting plasma glucose levels 

An increase in the triglyceride-HDL ratio, an increase in abdominal fat and rising plasma glucose levels over the years all suggest insulin resistance and they were all associated with a higher risk of developing major depressive disorder. 

How do we treat insulin resistance?

Causes of insulin resistance include:

• Being sedentary 

• Consuming more calories than your body needs

• Not getting enough sleep

• Poor stress management

So in many cases, the way to manage insulin resistance is the same old, simple advice we’ve all heard over and over: 

• Exercise

• Eat healthy and keep moderation in mind (culturally appropriate Mediterranean Diet principles are a great way to do this)

• Go to bed on time and get help addressing any sleep issues

• Work on stress management

• Some supplements can play a role in managing insulin resistance but they can’t replace lifestyle changes

The thing is, we may all know about these lifestyle changes but the challenge becomes motivating ourselves to do them and dealing with life situations that make it difficult to implement these healthy changes. Depression is serious and devastating, hopefully more awareness about how these lifestyle changes can prevent depression will help keep us all motivated to take care of ourselves in the best way we can. If you need help coming up with a practical plan to manage insulin resistance and your mental health, book an appointment and I would be happy to help.

PCOS, Anxiety and Depression

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) is a condition that involves irregular periods, metabolic issues like weight gain and insulin resistance, and symptoms of excess androgen hormones like acne and hair loss (or excess growth). It’s a common condition but what is often not talked about is its connection with mental health.

Women with PCOS are more likely to have anxiety or depression. This could be because some of the symptoms (like acne, hair loss, and infertility) take a psychological toll on those who experience them by impacting self esteem, relationships, and important life goals. It’s possible that the biological factors in PCOS like insulin resistance and elevated androgens are contributing to the anxiety or depression directly but there is limited and inconsistent information on this from studies. 

Associations have also been found between PCOS and eating disorders, bipolar disorder, and obsessive compulsive disorder. 

Treatment 

Treating the mental health aspects of PCOS means treating the PCOS itself by balancing the hormones that are out of range and improving the symptoms. Because it can take time for symptoms to improve, treating anxiety and depression directly can also be beneficial. Some of the natural remedies that help with PCOS can help improve mental health too. Talk to your naturopathic doctor to get a treatment plan that address both your mental and physical PCOS symptoms.

Myo-Inositol: What You Should Know

What is myo-inositol?

Inositol is a compound produced naturally in the human body and found in foods such as grains, organ meat, almonds, beans and certain fruits but it may be difficult to get all of the inositol our body needs from a modern diet alone. It’s typically sold in two different supplement forms: myo-inositol and chiro-inositol. Certain factors increase our body’s need for inositol. These include having a high amount of refined sugar in the diet, high blood sugar and increasing age. 

Myo-inositol plays a role in many functions in our body including how hormones (like insulin) and neurotransmitters communicate with our cells. It seems to be important in organs like the brain and ovaries because of these roles. 

What conditions is it used for?

Inositol is a popular supplement used for a wide array of conditions such as PCOS, diabetes and insulin resistance, thyroid disorders, elevated cholesterol, anxiety, depression and obsessive compulsive disorder. 

What doses are used?

The dose used depends on the condition being treated with lower doses being used for PCOS and thyroid issues (anywhere from 1-9 grams) and higher doses being used for mental health conditions. Studies on inositol often span from 3 months to a year so it may take time before improvements in symptoms are noticed. 

What about D-chiro-inositol? 

D-chiro-inositol is another form of myo-inositol found naturally in the body. It’s made from myo-inositol and is found in many body parts including muscle and the liver. Many studies on conditions like PCOS show that myo-inositol supplementation alone can improve symptoms. However, there may be cases when supplementing with both forms is beneficial. Your naturopathic doctor can help you decide the best course of action. 

Does it have side effects?

Bloating and gastrointestinal discomfort are possible side effects but this typically happens at higher doses. Taking it with food may help prevent this. It may interact with certain medications which your naturopathic doctor can help you figure out. 

If you have questions about the supplements you’re taking, book a free 15 minute phone consultation so we can talk about how I can help.