Newsletter

April, 2010

Insulin Resistance & Carbohydrate Sensitivity

Message from Dr. Clark:

An amazing fact that most people are unaware of is that 2/3 of the American population and 90% of people who are overweight by 50 lbs or more are carbohydrate sensitive.  For those that are carbohydrate sensitive (whether you are aware or not), there tends to be significant blood sugar swings.  Blood sugar swings are problematic for two reasons.  First, they cause problematic symptoms and second, they cause you to gain weight.  The symptoms associated with carbohydrate sensitivity include:  headaches, fatigue, irritability, brain “fog”, shakiness, hunger, cravings among others…sound familiar?

Carbohydrate sensitivity is diagnosed primarily through a person’s medical history (identifying the symptoms listed above).  It can also be evaluated through fasting blood sugar, fasting insulin and HgA₁C levels, along with added evidence from lipid profiles.  Carbohydrate sensitivity causes weight gain due to a delayed and exaggerated insulin response to blood sugar changes.  Insulin is a growing hormone.  For most individuals, this increases fat stores.  Read on – CMH experts will address ways to control carbohydrate sensitivity.

Insulin Resistance relates to your body acquiring higher insulin levels in an attempt to keep your blood sugar normal.  It takes higher than normal insulin levels to keep your blood sugar normal when you are carbohydrate sensitive.  The problem here is that insulin not only keeps blood sugars normal, but it causes other physiological responses that are potentially detrimental to your health and weight loss efforts (water retention, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia and fat storage).  If left untreated, insulin resistance can lead to Type II Diabetes.  One of the better treatments is dietary manipulation (modifying the foods we ingest so that you avoid blood sugar swings).   This will also be explored further in this newsletter.

Part of the reason I created the Center for Metabolic Health was so that people could learn about their individual metabolic health – not just “quick fixes” to lose weight.  Once you have an understanding of the metabolic problems that cause you to have hunger, cravings and an inability to lose weight, you can then learn how to combat these problems and free yourself to lose weight and keep it off for life!  Thank you for your desire to implement the long term solution/skills so this is not just another “diet” but a successful solution.

Expert Advice from CMH

Claire Behrens, LWMC, Program Manager – How do I know if I am carbohydrate sensitive?

Do you have difficulty losing weight?  Do you have cravings that drive you to overeat?  Do you feel tired, bloated and puffy after consuming a high carbohydrate meal?  Do simple sugar meals like fruits and yogurt make you feel lethargic and uneasy?  Chances are you are carbohydrate sensitive.  The truth is that different bodies have different abilities to handle carbohydrate – no one carbohydrate level is best for everyone. 

The goal is find the highest carbohydrate level where you can either maintain or lose weight and not have cravings that will drive you to random snacking.   By simply adjusting your carbohydrate level to one that is right for you, you will be free from those urges and find that you have increased energy and mental alertness.  Dr. Clark carefully determines which carbohydrate level is appropriate for each patient.  By following his guidelines, timing your carbohydrates and eating more protein and healthy fats – you will find that it will make all the difference in your life!

Penny Burns, RN, BSN – What can I do if I am carbohydrate sensitive?

You have just been told you are carbohydrate sensitive, now what?  There are two key elements to controlling the progression from carbohydrate sensitivity to insulin resistance to Type II Diabetes.  They are nutrition and physical activity.

First, you want to minimize your blood sugar swings.  You can do this by removing refined sugars from your diet.  Knowing how to read ingredient food labels for these sweeteners is a first step.  Hidden sweeteners in your food come in many different names such as ethyl maltol, dextran, maltose and mannitol to name a few.  Your counselors here at CMH can help you decipher the label maze.  In addition, reducing your carbohydrate intake and increasing your fiber intake will, over the long term, reduce that after meal upward sugar swing and keep those insulin levels lower.  

The second half to fighting carbohydrate sensitivity is increasing your physical activity.  Going from a ‘couch potato’ to an active, moving, walking, exercising machine will help you utilize your calories in the most effective way.  It will build your lean body mass and decrease your overall body fat.  Minimizing your fat and maximizing your muscle mass will help reduce your carbohydrate sensitivity and keep Type II Diabetes out of your future.  Come join the CMH exercise classes for a great overall workout!

Sybille Baumeler, LWMC – What is insulin resistance?

When your body senses that your blood sugar is high after a meal, your pancreas (an organ behind our stomach) releases insulin.  Insulin is a hormone that will lower our blood sugar by telling your cells to take up the sugar from your blood and use it for energy (or store it as fat).  This will also lead to an increase in fatty acids in your blood.

Insulin resistance is a condition in which your body is resistant to the effects of insulin, and your pancreas tries to compensate for this by making even more insulin.  This can eventually lead to the development of Type II Diabetes as your pancreas can no longer secrete the large amount of insulin needed to keep your blood sugar in control.  Chronically high levels of blood sugar can wreak havoc on your body overall.

Insulin resistance is usually found in overweight individuals, particularly those with large amounts of belly fat.  Signs and symptoms of insulin resistance include fatigue, brain fogginess, intestinal bloating, weight gain, depression and increased blood pressure.  It can also make losing weight harder as the increased abdominal fat might cause hormonal changes.

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