Bodybuilders are using Lantus incorrectly

There’s quite a bit of confusion about what a basal is and its intended use. 

Basal (long-acting) insulin provides a slow, steady release to regulate blood sugar throughout the day. It has no sharp peak and mainly mimics the body’s background insulin. It wasn’t intended to deal with large boluses of food at mealtime, but it helps regulate blood sugar at night and in between meals. 

Rapid-acting insulin, on the other hand, kicks in quickly—within 10 to 30 minutes—and peaks within a few hours. Insulin like Humalog and Novalog. This fast action makes it more useful for timing around workouts and meals. 

Rapid insulin shuttles carbs, protein, and amino acids into muscle cells post-workout in bodybuilding or performance enhancement. This supports faster recovery, glycogen synthesis, IGF-1 activation, amino acid uptake, and muscle growth.

You won’t get these effects with Lantus. It can’t offer this anabolic effect due to its slow, steady action. Think about it critically: Do you think that 0.75 units present per hour provide any considerable impact when eating large boluses of carbs and amino acids? 

For the most part, I think bodybuilders use basal insulin to mask some underlying metabolic disorders, either insulin resistance or pancreatic insufficiency. It could be helpful to help deal with high-carb days. I think most coaches suggest it because bros want to use some “slin” and don’t understand it themselves. It’s a safer way to say you are using insulin without the risk of going hypo and dying. 

Here’s another problem to consider. Let’s assume your basal insulin production is normal, but you have some underlying insulin resistance, and you are throwing Lantus on top of it. You are putting your body in a constant high-insulin state. This is a spiral that can get out of hand. More insulin leads to more insulin resistance and the need to use even more insulin. This is why you see a lot of older bodybuilders end up diabetic. 

I have pancreatic insufficiency, likely genetic, since both my father and uncle have the same condition. In my situation, I require basal insulin to replace my body's lack of insulin. In a healthy, normal individual, this is unnecessary.

There is also an argument that taking basal insulin can relieve stress on the beta cells of the pancreas when eating large amounts of food. This could be true in some instances, but it's more likely just masking an underlying issue with insulin resistance that needs to be addressed. It might make more sense to figure that out and fix it rather than just throwing more insulin at a spiraling problem. 

A closing thought on this: unless you are a high-level bodybuilder, there’s probably no reason to use insulin in the first place. Just manage your glucose sensitivity. Start there first. 

Anyway, folks, that’s it on that rant.