Carbs are not the enemy…

 If I hear one more time that carbs are bad… This is often talked about in the context of Type 2 Diabetes (T2D), insulin resistance and/or weight gain.

As we consume carbohydrates, they are broken down into smaller molecules called monosaccharides which means simple sugars. They cannot be “broken down” any further, which is why glucose is the simplest of sugars.

Some glucose is used for immediate energy, some into glycogen for what we can say in simple terms ‘easily accessible’ storage and the rest will go into fat stores.

The reason why carbohydrates are villainised is because of the now infamous (but natural) blood glucose spikes post-meal. We cannot just look at how big is the ‘spike’ but also how long it takes for our body to clear that blood glucose. If after 2 hours post-meal your blood glucose is still above normal, then things are probably not good.

So, you can see where the logic of reducing carbohydrates makes sense… on paper. If you remove carbohydrates, you will avoid blood glucose spikes, and you won’t have a problem.

However, turning off carbs is a short-term solution that is like a band aid. It’s working on minimising the symptom of insulin resistance, not its cause.

Telling people to avoid carbs is like telling someone who had a knee injury to just stop using their leg. And we know that complete lack of movement would be the opposite of what a proper rehab should look like.

Therefore, we need to look at what is the culprit behind the fact that we are struggling to clear the blood glucose. Why is it that our muscles and liver, and so many other organs are struggling to take in glucose, especially when they rely on it for energy. It is because they become insulin resistant. For any organ to take in glucose, it needs insulin, like a chaperone. It’s like a key and lock mechanism. The insulin sits on the receptor, the ‘key’ is turned, and the glucose gets entry into the cell.

Image: Dr Gemma Newman, University of Winchester

But if we are insulin resistant, as the name suggests, the cells do not respond to insulin and do not uptake glucose. That means that we have plenty of glucose floating around but our cells are basically struggling to access it. That has many unwanted consequences, but let’s put a spotlight on the brain – it’s the most energy hungry organ in the body, if the brain becomes insulin resistant and cannot function well because it’s starved of energy – you can think for yourself of the consequences. And that’s why insulin resistance is often an underlying cause for so many diseases.

Image: Dr Gemma Newman, University of Winchester

So, what is the cause (not symptom) of insulin resistance? Accumulation of fat in tissue that is not designed to store large quantities of fat.

Basically, fatty acids (metabolised forms of fat we eat) can enter tissues without insulin. The more high-fat meals we eat the thicker the wall around these organs is built and the more insulin we need (like a wrecking ball) to break through and let the glucose come inside the cells.

So, let’s repeat: glucose is trapped in the blood by fatty acids gaining access to tissues first and blocking insulin from working.

And we are not talking here about years and years of eating this way. The research shows that a single higher fat meal can decrease whole body insulin sensitivity by 25% [1].

Low carb diets are a short-term solution that reduce the symptom of insulin resistance but not its cause. Plus, for the geeks in here, some proteins can induce the same insulin spike as carbohydrates. For example: beef will have a similar effect to brown rice; and fish to grain bread!

To summarise, a lot of people believe insulin resistance to be a glucose metabolism issue (and therefore avoid carbohydrates) but it is in fact a fat metabolism problem.

And what is even sadder is that we knew this since 1963, it used to be called the fatty-acid syndrome back then.

Insulin resistance plays a crucial role in the development & progression of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)

In fact, even earlier, in 1950, Walter Kempner, a German physician, managed to show reversal of diabetic retinopathy (it’s a complication of diabetes, caused by high blood sugar levels damaging the back of the eye (retina)) on a high carbohydrate diet without caloric restriction.

He used white rice & fruit to achieve these results. Yes – the devil’s food if you are a low-carb advocate.

But unfortunately, with the rise of the keto and low carb diets - and with the disorderly eating habits most of the society is presenting (it’s a badge of honour to be on some restrictive diet) - this narrative became very popular and refuses to die.

So how do we make sure we stay away from insulin resistance?

Karolina runs 90 min workshops on just this subject specifically. Come, join us. You will not regret one minute of it!

[1] Acute dietary fat intake initiates alterations in energy metabolism and insulin resistance; The Journal of Clinical Investigation