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Insulina del bodybuilder

Insulin in bodybuilding

Why is insulin needed and how does it work?

Insulin is a peptide hormone, formed in the beta cells of the islets of Langerhans of the pancreas. It has a multifaceted effect on metabolism in almost all tissues. The main action of insulin is to lower the concentration of glucose in the blood. In bodybuilding, insulin is used due to its pronounced anabolic effect.

Insulin increases the permeability of plasma membranes for glucose, activates key glycolysis enzymes, stimulates the formation of glycogen from glucose in the liver and muscles, and enhances the synthesis of fats and proteins. In addition, insulin inhibits the activity of enzymes that break down glycogen and fats. That is, in addition to the anabolic effect, insulin also has an anti-catabolic effect.

The transport of glucose in two types of tissues depends to the greatest extent on insulin: muscle tissue and adipose tissue – this is the so-called. insulin-dependent tissues.

Insulin effects

Anabolic action of insulin

Insulin anti-catabolic action

The Dangers of Using Insulin

Perhaps the main factor in insulin’s bad reputation is the risk of hypoglycemia. On any forum, you can find messages of a warning nature, as if even a slight excess of the dose of insulin could be fatal. However, scientific and practical evidence suggests otherwise: the lowest lethal dose of insulin is 100 U, that is, a full insulin syringe. Many people survive even after 3000 IU doses! But in the event of a serious insulin overdose, there is no time to call an ambulance in a clear consciousness. Depending on the degree of overdose, it takes from several minutes to several hours to the development of a coma, so even lethal doses of insulin do not cause death if the timely flow of glucose into the blood begins.

What insulin is used in bodybuilding

In bodybuilding, short-acting and ultra-short-acting insulin should be used:

Short-acting insulin

Short insulin begins to act when injected subcutaneously after 30 minutes (therefore, it is administered 30-40 minutes before meals), the peak of action occurs after 2 hours, disappears from the body after 5-6 hours.

The best choice:

Ultra-short-acting insulin

Ultra-short insulin begins to act in 0-15 minutes, peak in 2 hours, disappear from the body in 3-4 hours. It is more physiological and can be administered immediately before a meal (5-10 minutes) or immediately after a meal.

The best choice:

Advantages and Disadvantages of Insulin

Benefits:

Disadvantages:

Effetti collaterali

Hypoglycemia or a decrease in the concentration of glucose in the blood, which entails all other manifestations. Hypoglycemia can be easily prevented, read about it in the main article – Hypoglycemia.

Itching in the area of ​​the injection

Allergy – extremely rare

Decreased endogenous insulin secretion – occurs only with very long courses with high doses of insulin

A decrease in endogenous insulin secretion occurs only during exogenous use of insulin (duration of action of short-acting or ultra-short-acting insulin). Insulin, unlike other endocrine hormones, is not regulated by the hypothalamic-pituitary system and does not have a feedback principle. The only stimulators of insulin synthesis are the level of glycemia and food intake (through the mechanism of the secretin cascade). Therefore, even a very long-term use of insulin does not change its secretion, after its withdrawal. But this is not a positive quality of the use of this hormone, since the risk of developing hypoglycemic conditions is very high !! To stop hypoglycemia, it is necessary to use fast carbohydrates, and since short or ultrashort insulin is used, all fast carbohydrates entering the bloodstream are carried away in the process of lipogenesis in adipose tissue. Excessive use of insulin, its “overdose” leads to an increase in fat reserves. As an anabolic hormone, it is weak, but hypoglycemia leads to the release of growth hormone, which has an anabolic effect.