insulin levels and blood pressure — as average insulin
levels elevate, so does blood pressure. For some, regard-
less of whether the blood pressure is elevated, sodium
sensitivity is common and eating too much sodium caus-
es water retention along with elevated blood pressure.
! Depression. Because carbohydrates can be a natural
“downer,” depression is common among people who have
CI. Carbohydrates do this by adversely affecting levels of
neurotransmitters made in the brain, producing feelings of
depression. Many people have been taught that sugar is
stimulating, but actually the opposite can be true. Some
people have a short, initial burst of energy after eating
sugar, but it does not last. This is a significant considera-
tion for children or adults trying to function optimally at
school, home or work.
In addition to the signs and symptoms listed above, carbohy-
drates, especially sugar, can be addicting. Some people have trouble
accepting that notion as there are no clear scientific studies to demon-
strate the claim. Many professionals have struggled trying to help
patients who could not reduce or eliminate sugar despite its
unhealthy hold on them.
We still don’t have a clear scientific study that shows sugar or
other refined carbohydrate foods can be addicting. However, some
studies do show that certain foods, like sugar, can trigger the brain’s
reward centers — the same brain areas stimulated by cocaine, nico-
tine and other well-accepted addicting substances.
The fact that food can be addicting is well accepted — and even
proven — by the very companies who use addiction as a powerful
tool to sell these products. Food advertisers, who spend billions of
dollars each year, know very well about addiction, and how to tease
you with foods that can kill you. These ad campaigns are especially
successful with children, and they are not unlike those used by the
tobacco industry for so many decades.
If society placed sugar in the same category as cigarettes, there
would be a revolution. State, city and even federal government agen-
cies would ban sugar and refined carbohydrate foods due to the
THE CARBOHYDRATE TREND • 37