The Problem with High Insulin

Insulin is important. Each time we eat, insulin is released into the bloodstream. This vital hormone, secreted by special cells in the pancreas, encourages our tissues - our muscles in particular - to gobble up the glucose surging through the bloodstream after we eat a meal

The problem is, too much insulin isn’t good for us. High levels of insulin cause several problems: one of them is high blood pressure. Blood pressure goes up in people who eat a high-carb diet is because of raised insulin levels, or hyperinsulinemia (something low-carb researcher Dr. Jeff Volek from the University of Connecticut acknowledged as the root cause of obesity, diabetes, and other chronic diseases at the recent American Society of Bariatric Physicians obesity conference.

Insulin also causes the retention of sodium, which causes fluid retention, which causes high blood pressure and congestive heart failure. A recent study showed that overweight children with high levels of insulin in their blood are also likely to have high levels of homocysteine, a substance which appears to raise the risk of heart disease and stroke.

High-carb diets are the culprit behind high insulin levels. If we eat a diet that contains too many high GI carbs (carbs that are rapidly converted into blood glucose) we force our body to respond by releasing equally large amounts of insulin into our bloodstream to cope with the glucose. And the best way to regulate insulin is to eat a low-carb diet.

 

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