Eating fat is no good. But no wait, aren't carbohydrates evil. One expert will say one thing, and then another doctor will say something else. Back and forth this story goes. Maybe that new infomercial selling the latest miracle weight loss vitamin is the way to go? In the meantime, you're confused and not losing any weight. Well, get ready for some possible answers and even a few more questions. As a chiropractor in San Diego, chiropractic patients regularly ask these questions.
First, the results of a new study in the June 19th, 2010 edition of The Endocrine Society reports obese women with insulin resistance lose more weight after three months on a lower-carbohydrate diet than on a traditional low-fat diet with the same number of calories. The study's lead author, Raymond Plodkowski, MD, Chief of Endocrinology, Nutrition and Metabolism at the University Of Nevada School Of Medicine, Reno wrote, "The typical diet that physicians recommend for weight loss is a low-fat diet. However, as this study shows, not all people have the same response to diets."
According to the researchers, for this group of women, the lower carbohydrate diet is more effective than the low fat diet. This is at least for the short term. The study lasted 12 weeks and was funded by the company Jenny Craig. It found the insulin resistant women on the lowest-carbohydrate diet lost 3.4 pounds more than those on the low fat diet. Total calories for all groups were the same. The low fat diet included 60% of its calories from carbohydrates, 20% from fat, and 20% from protein. The low-carbohydrate diet included 45% of its calories from carbs, 35% from primary unsaturated fats, and 20% from protein. Both diets included a minimum of 2 fruits and 3 vegetable servings a day. The use of prepared meals made the structured diets easier and more palatable for the dieter.
After you eat, blood glucose levels rise and your pancreas secretes insulin to allow cells to absorb and use the glucose. Since the women in the abovementioned study were all insulin resistant, you might be wondering, "What is insulin resistance?" Insulin resistance is a condition where the body produces insulin but does not use it properly. Insulin is a hormone made by the pancreas to break down glucose in the blood so it can be used for energy. Glucose is a form of sugar and is the body's #1 source of energy. After your digestive system breaks food down into glucose, glucose is then transported to different parts of your body via the bloodstream. Glucose in the blood stream is called "blood glucose" or "blood sugar."
When people are insulin resistant, they do not respond properly to insulin. In other words, even though the pancreas secretes insulin, it is not effective in getting the glucose from the blood into the cells. More insulin is needed so the pancreas works harder and secretes more. Eventually, the pancreas cannot keep up with the increased demand and glucose builds up in the blood. This is the beginning of diabetes. It is common for diabetics to have high levels of both glucose and insulin circulating in the bloodstream. Insulin resistance not only sets the stage for developing Type 2 Diabetes, it increases the odds of the number one killer in America: heart disease. According to the American Diabetes Association: "People with diabetes have a higher-than-average risk of having a heart attack or stroke. These strike people with diabetes more than twice as often as people without diabetes."
So what causes insulin resistance? There seem to be several contributing factors. The first factor may be genetic. Some scientists think specific genes make certain people more susceptible to insulin resistance. But, genes aren't everything. Weight and lack of physical activity also seem to play a major role. Then, there are also the types of food you eat. The more junk sugars (ice cream, candy bars, etc.) you eat, the more your little pancreas has to work to keep up with all the sugar that has been dumped into the bloodstream. Just like everything else, there is only so much work your pancreas can do. If the pace is too high for too long, it will basically burn out and quit. It is important to stop this process before it gets too far. Exercise, weight loss and proper diet can reverse many cases of insulin resistance and pre-diabetes. According to the National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse, "The Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) and other large studies have shown that people with pre-diabetes can often prevent or delay diabetes if they lose a modest amount of weight by cutting fat and calorie intake and increasing physical activity; for example, walking 30 minutes a day 5 days a week. Losing just 5 to 7 percent of body weight prevents or delays diabetes by nearly 60 percent. In the DPP, people aged 60 or older who made lifestyle changes lowered their chances of developing diabetes by 70 percent."
With all of this information, the most important message to take away is this: Lifestyle has a major impact on your health. Different people react to different foods and diets in different ways, and it is important to pay attention to what you eat and figure out what is best for you. But no matter what, regular exercise and staying away from junk food loaded with bad fats and sugar is a very good idea. Research may not have all the answers yet, but to our knowledge, there is no study that says sitting on the couch stuffing your face with candy bars and ice cream is good for your
health.
