Chronic, excessive sugar consumption, no matter its form, can lead to hyperinsulinemia.
All carbohydrates must be broken down to their simplest form, glucose and fructose, before they enter the bloodstream and can be used for energy. It doesn’t matter if it is licorice, pasta, brown rice, or oatmeal; it must be broken down to its tiniest building blocks . . . sugar. Once the blood sugar is elevated, insulin is released in an attempt to push glucose into our cells. It’s important to have just enough glucose for energy, but not too much.
If you overdose your system with simple carbs (aka sugar), you keep your body in a chronic state of hyperinsulinemia. Once the liver and muscle cells are full of sugar, the excess carbs are converted to a fat called palmitic acid (PA). PA seriously interferes with the hormonal response and sensitivity to leptin (the hormone released in the gut that tells your brain you are full).
At this point the insulin can’t push any more glucose into the liver, and the liver and your muscles become “insulin resistant.” Your glucose level continues to go higher and higher because there is nowhere for it to be stored, and your body is not getting the signal that the cells are full while the insulin is present in your blood. All the while, your body thinks it needs more glucose because of the presence of insulin, and you start craving carbs! Eventually, the liver is totally overwhelmed and all the fat that is being created to deal with the excess sugar can no longer be sent into systemic circulation so it gets stored in the liver. That’s right, you get fatty liver, just like an alcoholic!
This is bad enough, but it isn’t even close to the end of the picture. The hormone cortisol comes to the “rescue” because your body doesn’t like the perceived “low blood sugar” it senses (even though you are totally drowning in sugar). The cortisol begins converting protein into sugar . . . from your own muscles! This process is called gluconeogenesis. This muscle wasting process leads to excess fat being deposited around the visceral organs (your gut).
When you see people with “muffin tops” (that excess fluff around the middle), it is almost always a sign of excess cortisol, which is almost always a sign of excess carbohydrate consumption and insulin resistance. This insulin resistance in the fat cells causes the body to be unable to process circulating fatty acids.
When this happens, there is increased hydrolysis of stored triglycerides and elevated levels of fatty acids in the blood and you end up with high triglycerides on your blood test. So, in case you aren’t following me, I am telling you that high triglycerides are an indication that you are consuming an excessive amount of sugars/simple carbohydrates! What is so bad about this? Well, with insulin resistance and chronically elevated glucose levels, the pancreas must continue to produce more insulin to compensate . . . until it simply cannot keep up any longer. This is the beginning of Type 2 Diabetes.
Aggressive lifestyle modification usually can alter or reverse many of the symptoms of Type 2 Diabetes, but only to a point. Eventually the burden on your body will be too great. For the final touch, the pancreatic beta cells, which have already taken massive abuse from the overproduction of insulin, are further affected by the highly destructive, oxidative process that occurs when sugar sticks to protein. These pesky complexes, referred to as “Advanced Glycated End products” (AGEs), become oxidized and lead to rapid aging. Since the pancreas has been highly compromised, it is one of the most vulnerable organs when it comes to AGEs. With enough abuse, the beta cells will become permanently damaged, just like they are in people who suffer from Type 1 Diabetes. Your life will never be the same!
I hope this is getting your attention. While it’s never too late to start making positive changes, the sooner you start the better. Eventually your body will not be able to effectively fight the ravaging effects of the years of bad choices. Once your organs start deteriorating, they usually start doing so in rapid succession. Diseases like diabetes, cancer, and heart disease are devastating to overall health and well being.
The timer is set differently for everyone depending upon genetics, environmental influences, and the degree of abuse, but do know: chronically elevated blood insulin and obesity are associated with systemic inflammation and many types of cancer. In case this is still unclear, excess sugar and simple carbs will kill you early!
For more information about Tana Amen, and her book “The OMNI Diet,” go to http://www.tanaamen.com.