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.
Â
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.
Pre Diabetic Diseases Caused By Carbohydrates
In a previous article we 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 affects associated with carbohydrates and insulin resistance.
All of these symptoms could be considered pre diabetic diseases, because if you are suffering from them now it is only a matter of time before you develop full blown diabetes.
However do not be alarmed if you are suffering from these symptoms, because if you change your diet diabetes can be prevented.
Signs Of Insulin Resistance & Pre Diabetes
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.
Fatigue is one of the first signs that you are on your way to developing diabetes.
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.
Pay attention to when you get brain fog, as it will usually occur after eating certain types of foods. Avoid the foods that cause you brain fog, because they are usually the ones which will put you at greatest risk of developing diabetes.
Intestinal Bloating And Gas
Most intestinal gas is produced via fermentation from bacteria feeding on carbohydrates in the large intestine.
If you have a lot of gas, you are eating too many sugary carbohydrates and are therefore increasing your risk of developing diabetes.
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 and eventually develop diabetes.
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. This means eating lots of carbohydrates will accelerate hair loss.
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 affects.
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 your 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.
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 |
 |
| 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 |
 |
| Pasta | ||||
| Â | Fettuccini (egg) 32 Ravioli (meat) 39 Spaghetti 43 Spiral Pasta 43 Capellini 45 Linguine 46 Macaroni 47 |
 Rice Vermicelli 58 |
 |  |
| 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 |
 | Broad Beans 79 |  |
| 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 |
 |  |
| 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 |
ive read lots of articles saying all carbs are bad simple and complex then telling you 2 eat plenty of greens which also contain carbs theres no escaping carbs eaten sensibly there fine telling people 2 aviod them is stupid.
I agree Jayne, and you do make some good points. There is information out there saying that all carbs are bad, but you also hear that you should eat carbs, especially green vegetables.
I remain undecided whether carbs should be completely eliminated, and for the time being prefer to do as you suggested and eat sensibly.
I don’t think eating carbs in moderation will do you any harm, although it would still be wise to avoid the heavily processed and sugary foods out there.
But with all that said it still comes down to your dna, that will ultimately determine how well you react to a particular diet. if there was a simple test that showed each person what foods are best suited to their genetic makeup, i think there would be a lot less diseases in the world.
i did write about this issue in a past article
http://www.eruptingmind.com/everyone-has-food-allergy/
I think the answer here is actually very simple. Carbs are necessary. You just have to know how much you need. I am very athletic and was actually on a very low-carb diet. BAD IDEA! I was constantly exhausted. Carbs are a very important energy supply. Carbs are not bad so long as you eat the right ones, and are only eating as much as you need.
i likd dis article 2 mch….its really vry useful 4 us knw in detail bout d carbs nd related disorders……..a kind request>>>>plz delete d mention of aloos 4m d article……coz majority of indians r 2222222222 mch attracted 2wards aloos………………nd so do not break d heArts of all indians…..evn if dey r aware of dis high calorie diet……-”POTATOES”…….PLZ SERACH SOME ANOTHER SUBSTITUTE…….
Well written article with such great information you mention here, it’s really useful to many people that don’t know the bad side of carbohydrates. Thanks for sharing
i dont care man this is the fat ppls problem jk i was juz kiddin tese ppl need help as soon as posible its hard 2 look at dem lik dis who agrees wid me
})i({ : i just want to say tht carbohydrates was also important to our life.thank you.
^__^
how can u say that just “Red Kidney Beans Soy Beans roccoli abbage Lettuce Mushrooms Onions Red Peppers Yogurt Plain” is GOOD!!!!…..that’s anorexia, i think is importan to have a diet from the grassy food but that’s exageration, ok well, by other way thanks for the information, haha xD, seriosly thks this type of articules are always helpful for people anywaysss, keep going, cuz any person would want be seen like that woman ^ and thanks again
haha, i mean…..any person would NOT want be seen like that woman ^
i think all of you are right i just have to do a report on it
i felt bad for that women
Overall i consider a healthy diet to be meat and complex carbs.
that was great!!! it gives me a lot ov information
Ermm .. it wasnt very useful 4 ma hmwrk. . the onli reason i came on this site is coz i saw the fat woman on goolge.. i was shocked so i wanted rthat image but b4 i clicked view larger image i was tempeted to scroll dwn nd ere i am now woop! go mmmeeeeeee x
i wouldn,t want to be that lady she is huge she can’t even wear clothes
hi martin wats up are you from jamaica
Be careful putting your email address out in public Candy, you never know who will see it.
I am from England.
http://www.eruptingmind.com/about-martin/
Hey I’m fat lay off that lady!!! I would hit!
i just want 2 know any skin disease cause by carbohydrate. if any one know so reply me.