INSULIN – BODYBUILDING MADNESS! Jacked to An Early Grave?
INSULIN - BODYBUILDING MADNESS!
Jacked to An Early Grave?
I am really annoyed over the popularity of the use of insulin by bodybuilders and recommended by some of the “so-called” gurus as an anabolic performance enhancer! Insulin has become a drug of choice in many bodybuilders’ anabolic stacks for increasing muscle size. Yes, insulin is an anabolic hormone, but it also enhances fat storage! Insulin is a potentially dangerous and overrated bodybuilding drug! Why take exogenous insulin injections, which has many potential side effects? Why not just improve your own body’s insulin sensitivity and function through diet, training and safer drugs such as metformin! Studies show that metformin has cardiovascular and anti-cancer benefits. The FDA is close to approving metformin as the first anti-aging drug. Please do not start metformin without first speaking to your physician. Too many so-called gurus these days are prescribing medicine without a license, which is not recommended. Please, when it comes to drugs, this is serious business! Be proactive. See your physician and get a checkup on a regular basis. As a bodybuilder, it is important to get the proper blood work to avoid potential health issues.
At the Sunday morning Arnold symposium, held during the 2015 Arnold Classic, Arnold voiced his displeasure with the physique trend among bodybuilders. Arnold made a statement about some of today’s bodybuilders that they have “bottled-shaped bodies” instead of the classic V-shape. Arnold went on to say, “… Stomachs sticking out … it doesn’t look right anymore.”
The cause of the swollen “big gut” in some bodybuilders has long been attributed to growth hormone excess (GH gut) which can cause organomegaly— enlargement of the intestines and other organs; and edema (water retention).
Some professional bodybuilders have experimented and abused insulin to promote mass gains. There are serious consequences that can occur from insulin abuse. Emergency rooms often deal with individuals who fail to eat properly, misdose their prescribed insulin or perhaps an interaction with another drug, resulting in severe hypoglycemia. Many suicide cases have been reported over the years where insulin was the primary vehicle for intentional suicide. When an overdose of insulin occurs, medical help is needed immediately— if left untreated, a patient could go into coma or die from the overdose.
Insulin enhances abdominal obesity and is the main culprit along with excess growth hormone in the so-called GH Belly, sometimes referred to as “The Bubble Gut” in some bodybuilders. In an interview published in Muscular Development, six-time-Mr. Olympia Dorian Yates noted his experience with growth hormone and insulin, commenting that while his growth hormone of 8 IUs/day did have a positive effect on his size and condition, as far insulin was concerned, “I got bigger than ever, but it wasn’t quality muscle and my midsection was distended.” In fact, Yates only used insulin one year during the off-season. He further stated, “For me, insulin had a negative overall impact on my physique. It kept me from getting into my usual condition that I pride myself on. Raw mass is not the same as quality muscle tissue. I got a bit bigger, but at the expense of my separation, crispness and clear muscle separation. I see that same lack of separation constantly today with the guys as well as distended abs.”
I am really pissed off that some of today’s so-called bodybuilding gurus continue to recommend insulin use as an anabolic drug! It has been the most single factor in bodybuilding that has hurt the quality and conditioning of physiques today compared to the bodybuilders of the ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s such as Arnold, Frank Zane, Shawn Ray, Flex Wheeler, Kevin Levrone and Lee Haney. My biggest concern is the health risks of exogenous insulin and abuse!! There is strong evidence that hyperinsulinemia increases the risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer!
A most recent study confirms that insulin therapy increases cardiovascular risk and mortality among those who have type 2 diabetes! This most recent large-scale meta-analysis, including large-scale outcome trials and patient registry studies, confirm strong dose associations for injected insulin with increased cardiovascular risk and worsened mortality! The majority of large observational studies clearly show that insulin causes weight gain, recurrent hypoglycemia and other potential adverse effects including hyperinsulinemia. This over insulin-zation with use of injected insulin enhances inflammation, atherosclerosis, hypertension, dyslipidemia (elevation of plasma cholesterol, triglycerides or both, or a low high-density lipoprotein level that contributes to the development of atherosclerosis), heart failure and arrhythmias. These findings strongly suggest that insulin therapy has a poor, short and long-term safety profile.
Herman, Mary E, et al. Insulin Therapy Increases Cardiovascular Risk in Type 2 Diabetes. Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases, Volume 60, Issue 3, 422-434, September 2017.
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