Thursday, April 26, 2007

Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain

We all know where this is going to lead High Insulin Levels Impair Intestinal Metabolic Function.

The researchers note that excessive insulin appears to alter the mechanics of blood vessel walls, allowing chylomicrons and cholesterol to build up in them, which, over time, creates blockages in the blood stream, leading to heart problems.

I haven't found the actual study, but, the review seems to point to one of two solutions, either cut fat or carbs. Guess which one the authors of the review chose. Despite the growing volume of evidence of the benefit of lowering dietary glycemic loads, fat is still enemy numero uno. We now know that there is more than one way to lower glycemic loads, eat fewer carbs, eat low gi carbs ,or best of all, do both. Not everyone needs or should be on a very low carb ketogenic diet. But, damn few people need 300++ grams of carb per day. Eating that many carbs almost requires one to eat processed food. There just isn't any way around it. I admit, on most days I still eat one slice of bread, generally as toast with my eggs in the morning. I've given up grits and gravy, biscuits and honey, but I still need something to soak up the yolks from my eggs. I also eat sweet potatoes and legumes a regular basis. Even eating bread, sweet potatoes and legumes, I still manage at least two servings of fruit, several servings of vegetables, and a cup of yogurt, all while keeping my glycemic load in the low range, defined as under 80. A high glycemic load is defined as over 120. 300g carb of low GI food (avg gi 50) still gives you a glycemic load of 150, well into high. If you use such whole grain goodness items as whole wheat bread or Cheerios, you GL quickly passes 200. Now remember the problem mentioned at the top of the article was due to high insulin levels. How do we alleviate the build up of chylomicrons? Since chylomicrons are produced as part of lipid digestion, the answer is to limit fat. What about the excessive insulin?? The mighty Oz has spoken.

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