containing it, and liver glycogen is used mostly to main-
tain blood-sugar levels between meals and during night-
time sleep.)- About 40 percent of the carbohydrate you eat is convert-
ed to fat and stored.
Insulin production occurs as a normal process each and every
time you eat a meal containing carbohydrates. Small amounts of
insulin may also be produced if you consume a protein-only meal,
and in some people, a high-protein meal can stimulate significant
amounts of insulin. But for most people, it’s predominantly carbohy-
drates that trigger the insulin mechanism.
The more carbohydrates consumed, the more insulin produced.
For many people — especially those who are overfat and those who
have consumed a high carbohydrate diet for a long time — eating car-
bohydrates results in production of too much insulin. This leads to a
condition referred to as insulin resistance, and it’s associated with the
inability of insulin to efficiently fuel the cells, especially the muscle
cells, with glucose. As a result, the cells do not get all the glucose they
need for energy. When these people eat carbohydrates, the brain can
get the message that the cells don’t have enough sugar and it tells the
pancreas to make more insulin. Finally, insulin is produced beyond
normal limits, a condition referred to as hyperinsulinism — too much
insulin. While it takes more insulin to get glucose into the insulin-
resistant cells efficiently, this hormone still performs its other tasks,
including converting carbohydrates to fat. As mentioned previously,
in a normal person, 40 percent of the carbohydrates eaten is convert-
ed to fat. In a person who produces too much insulin, that number
may be much higher, perhaps 50 to 60 percent.
In many people, this excess production of insulin may be ampli-
fied due to genetics, or it may be a normal response to eating too
much carbohydrate. If you have a family history of diabetes, heart
disease, high blood pressure or stroke, the odds are greater that you
have less tolerance for carbohydrate consumption. Lifestyle also con-
tributes to this problem, including poor dietary habits such as eating
too much carbohydrate, too little protein, lack of exercise and stress.
THE CARBOHYDRATE TREND • 31