Continued From Part 1 - What Are Carbohydrates 

Diseases Caused By Carbohydrates

Over time with continual exposure to insulin, your cells get more and more resistant to it. This means the pancreas has to secrete more insulin to have the same effect a smaller amount used to have.

 

What’s So Bad About Insulin Resistance Anyway?

When your cells get to a point when they are no longer responsive to insulin, or the pancreas can’t secrete enough insulin for it to be effective, you will become diabetic.

In the medical world there is already much concern for the current generation of young children, who many doctors fear are already borderline diabetic due to the large amounts of sweets and soft drinks they consume.

Some even speculate that in the future there may be an explosion in the number of diabetics. Interlinked with this is the rising obesity crisis, which is often interwoven with diabetes and heart disease.

Diseases Caused By Carbohydrates

So we have already established that high carb foods, or more accurately foods that have a high glycemic index, increase your risk of diabetes, obesity and even heart disease.

However these diseases only tend to appear with high levels of insulin resistance, and therefore tend to occur at a later age. But there are many other symptoms that may appear before these which indicate insulin resistance.

Here are some of the negative health effects associated with carbohydrates and insulin resistance.

Signs Of Insulin Resistance

Fatigue

Commonly associated with insulin resistance. If you constantly feel tired and lack energy throughout the day, or parts of the day, you could be suffering from fatigue.

Brain Fog

Poor memory, brain fog and lack of concentration are all signs of insulin resistance. Brain fog often occurs shortly after eating carbohydrates, and therefore should be easy to spot.

Intestinal Bloating And Gas

Most intestinal gas is produced via fermentation from bacteria feeding on carbohydrates in the large intestine.

Sleepiness

Many people feel sleepy after eating a meal, this usually occurs after eating carbohydrates such as pasta.

Depression

Carbohydrates are a natural “downer”, and many people suffering from depression also have insulin resistance.

Cancer

When certain carbohydrates are heated or fried (especially potatoes), they produce high levels of a cancer causing substance called acrylamide.

Encourage Growth Of “Bad Bacteria”

Bacteria and yeast love sugar, so eating lots of sugary food (including fruit and fruit juices) promotes their growth. This can lead to yeast infections and bad breath.

Weakened Immune System

Eating sugary food can impair the functioning of your immune system by as much as 50%, for up to 3 hours. This makes you more susceptible to disease and infection.

Hair loss

Sugary foods can cause scalp inflammation, causing the body to attack the hair follicles in an autoimmune response.

This is often occurs as “scalp pains” followed by hair loss in the same area. Carbohydrates also reduce globulin levels, which help lower DHT levels.

Other Side Effects Caused By Eating Carbohydrates

• Damage to teeth and gums
• High blood pressure
• Poor eyesight
• Diabetes
• Obesity
• Accelerated Aging
• Heart disease

As you can see, carbohydrates and the accelerated insulin resistance they cause can result in many negative health effects.

However these effects are largely associated with the consumption of high carb foods, or foods that have a high glycemic index.

Is A “Zero Carb Diet” The Answer?

There is much debate about whether carbohydrates are good or bad for you. Some people believe they are so bad, they should be completely eliminated from your diet.

This point is debatable and there are compelling arguments for both sides, but this will take another article to discuss properly.

For the time being if you would like more information about a zero carb diet, I suggest you read this excellent article on the dangers of carbohydrates.

It also discusses the history of the food pyramid, upon which much of our food recommendations are based, and how and why the pyramid did not start out the way it appears today.

Final Thoughts On Carbohydrates

If you currently eat a high carbohydrate diet, have large amounts of abdominal or buttock fat, or experience any of the signs of insulin resistance listed previously, I suggest you strongly consider reducing the amount of carbohydrates you consume.

It would also be wise to be selective over which carbohydrates you eat, paying particular attention to high carb foods that have a high glycemic index.

Unfortunately this means most of you favorite foods! So ice cream, cookies, potato chips and soft drinks should all be avoid or severely limited.

If you are a parent then monitor what your children are eating, especially if your children are already overweight. This is most relevant for parents in the US or UK, where childhood obesity is a growing and extremely serious problem.

In addition to this it is also a good idea to ensure you exercise regularly. Anaerobic (e.g. weight lifting) and aerobic (e.g. running) exercise, has been shown to promote healthy insulin levels and lower your risk of diabetes.

What Are Carbohydrates 

Carbohydrates And Cancer

Cancer Risk With Carbohydrates

Glycemic Index, Carbohydrates And Cancer

Dangers Of A Carbohydrate Diet

Safety Of A Low Carbohydrate Diet

Glycemic Index Chart

Carbohydrates And Immune Function

Brain Fog

Glycemic Index Chart Of Common Foods

(higher numbers cause faster/higher blood sugar/insulin rise)
10-29 good	30-49 ok	50-64 marginal ?	65-79 bad	80-100+ bad
Grains
Â	Uncle Ben’s Conv 44 Noodles (instant) 46 Bulgur 48	Buckwheat 54 Brown Rice 55 Lg grain White Rice 56 Basmati Rice 58	Taco Shells 68 Sht grain White Rice 72	Â
Cereals
Â	Kellogg’s Bran Buds 45 Oatmeal 49	Kellogg’s All Bran 51 Kellogg’s Special K 54	Shredded Wheat 67 Quaker Puffed Wheat 67	Kellogg’s Rice Krispies 82 Kellogg’s Cornflakes 84
Breads
Â	Sponge Cake 46	Pumpernickel Bread 51 Sour Dough Bread 52 Stone Gr Whole Wheat 53 Pita Bread 57 Blueberry Muffin 59 Pizza (cheese, tom) 60	Croissant 67 Whole Wheat Bread 69 White Bread 70 Bagel 72 Waffles 76 Donut 76 Rye Bread 76	Â
Pasta
Â	Fettuccini (egg) 32 Ravioli (meat) 39 Spaghetti 43 Spiral Pasta 43 Capellini 45 Linguine 46 Macaroni 47	  Rice Vermicelli 58	Â	Â
Legumes-Beans
Red Kidney Beans 27 Soy Beans 18	Lentils 30 Cannellini Beans 31 White Beans 31 Lima Beans 32 Garbanzo(Chickpeas) 33 Navy Beans 38 Pinto Beans 39 Baked Beans 48	Â	Broad Beans 79	Â
Vegetables
Broccoli 10 Cabbage 10 Lettuce 10 Mushrooms 10 Onions 10 Red Peppers 10	Carrots 49	Green Peas 48 Sweet Potato 54 Corn 55 Potato (new) 62	Beets 69 Potato (french fries) 75 Pumpkin 75	Potato (mashed, instant) 86 Potato (red skinned) 93 Potato (baked, white) 93 Parsnip 97 Â
Fruits-Berries
Â	Cherries 22 Grapefruit 25 Pear 38 Apple 38 Plum 39 Orange 44 Grapes 46	Kiwi 52 Mango 55 Banana 55 Papaya 58	Cantaloupe 65 Pineapple 66	dried dates (103) Watermelon 103
Cookies-Crackers
Â	Â	Oatmeal Cookies 55 Shortbread Cookies 64 Stoned Wheat Thins 67 Ryvita Crispbread 69	Melba Toast 70 Kavli Crispbread 71 Soda Graham Crackers 74 Crackers 74 Vanilla Wafers 78 Water crackers 78	Rice Cakes 82 Rice Crackers 91
Beverages
Â	Â	Milk (whole) 22 Soy Milk 31 Milk (skimmed) 32 Milk (chocolate flavored) 34	Â	Â
Snacks-Desserts-Condiments
Yogurt Plain 14	Peanuts 14 Walnuts 15 Cashews 22 Yogurt (low-fat) 33	Snickers Bar 41 Chocolate Bar 49 Ice cream (low-fat) 50 Popcorn 55 Potato Chips 55 Power Bar 58 Ice Cream (whole) 61	Rasins 64 Corn Chips 72	Jelly Beans 80 Pretzels 83 Tofu Frozen Dessert 115
Sugars
Â	Fructose 23	Lactose 46 Honey 58	Sucrose 65	glucose 100 maltose 105

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