Insulin Resistance: A leading factor in weight gain, heart disease, stroke, & cancer.

Refined carbohydrates come from foods such as white bread, white pasta, white rice, and white potatoes, and from beverages through juices, sports drinks, vitamin water, and soda. All of these foods contribute to the development of insulin resistance, thereby making us sick and causing us to gain weight! Foods that cause a rapid spike in insulin not only make you feel poorly, they also cause your body to pack on pounds.

Did you know that insulin resistance is the single most leading factor in causing heart disease, stroke, dementia, cancer and/or rapid rate in premature aging and weight gain^1,2,3,4,5,6?

A high level of insulin leads to fat around the belly, which perpetuates inflammation and oxidative stress, leading to sickness and weight gain.

 Kallio et al14 took two different groups of pre-diabetic patients and provided both with the same amount of proteins, carbohydrates, dietary fibers, and fats for 12 weeks. One group was fed rye (low insulin response), while the other group was fed wheat, oats, and potatoes (high insulin response). The group that was given oats, wheat, and potatoes had an increase in stress molecules, leading to increased oxidative stress, increased inflammation, and an increase in abdominal fat.

 “Calories In, Calories Out” rule is NOT as simple as it sounds…Part 5 of 6

References

1. Aggarwal, B. B., Krishnan, S., Guha, S. Inflammation, Lifestyle and Chronic Disease: The Silent Link. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press. 2012.
2. Ebbeling CB, Swain JF, Fledman HA, Wong WW, Haohey DL, Lago-Garcia E, Ludwig DS. Effects of Dietary Composition on Energy Expenditure During Weight-Loss Maintenance. JAMA, June 27, 2012-Vol 307, No.24
3. Gillis L, Gillis A. Nutrient inadequacy in obese and non-obese youth. Can J Diet Prac Res. 2005 Winter;66(4):2270-78.
4. Gearhardt AN, Corbin WR, Brownell KD. Primarily validation of the yellow food addiction scale. Appetite. 2009;52(2):430-36.
5. Gearhardt AN, Corbin WR, Brownell KD. Food addiction, and examination of the diagnostic criteria for dependence. J Addit Med.2009;3:1-7. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21768996
6. Volkow, ND Wang GJ, Fowler JS, Logan J, Jayne M, Franceschi D, Wong C, Gatley SJ, Gifford AN, Ding YS, Pappas N. “Nonhedonic” food motivation in the humans involves dopamine in the dorsal striatum and methylphendate amplifies this effect. Synapse. 2002;44(3):175-80. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11954049
7. Kallio P, Kolehmainen M, Laaksonen DE, Kekalainen J, Salopuro T, Sivenius K, Pulkkinen L, Mykkanen HM, Niskanen L, uusitupa M, Poutanen. Dietary carbohydrate modification induces alteration in gene expression in abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue in persons with metabolic syndrome: FUNGE-NUT study. Am J Clin Nutr. 2007 May;85(5):1417-27.
8. Backhed F, Ding H, Wang T, Hooper LV, Koh GY, Nagy A, Semenkovich CF, Gordon JI. The gut microbiota as an environmental factor that regulates fat storage. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A.2004 Nov 2:101(44):15718-23. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC524219/