By Dr. Barry Sears
(Editor's note: A Dr. Mickey e-mailed a suggestion for an article
in this e-zine about how different medications affect insulin levels.)
One of the truly unfortunate side effects of many
drugs is their adverse effect on hormones, especially insulin. Probably
the worst offending drugs are corticosteroids, such as Prednisone.
These drugs can dramatically increase insulin resistance, which in
turn elevates insulin levels. This is why people taking corticosteroids
rapidly gain weight, especially in the abdominal region.
Other common prescription medications that can cause
an increase in insulin levels are the female sex hormones estrogen
and progesterone. At low levels as in premenopausal women, estrogen
normally keeps insulin levels under control. This is why females have
a much lower rate of heart disease prior to menopause. However, hormonal
replacement using synthetic estrogen (especially using drugs such
as Premarin) can increase insulin levels and also other inflammatory
proteins, such as C-reactive protein. Synthetic (and probably natural)
progesterones have an equally adverse effect on insulin levels. This
explains why in the recent HERS study it was found that women receiving
hormone replacement therapy (HRT) had an increase in heart disease
in the first year compared to women not taking HRT.
Protease inhibitors used in the treatment of HIV
are also known to increase insulin resistance and therefore insulin
levels. These drugs have been live-savers for AIDS patients, but unfortunately
they dramatically increase the likelihood of developing heart disease
in the same patients.
Other medications that have been shown to increase
insulin levels and insulin resistance are common anti-hypertensive
medications, such as diuretics and beta-blockers.
Finally, the most prescribed drug in America also
increases insulin levels. That class of drugs is the statins.
This is not to say you should never use these drugs, but if you do,
then rigorously following the Zone Diet will decrease their hormonal
side effects.
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