nutrition
As someone
living with
type 1, I get
objective
insights
every
single day
By almost completely removing
carbs from the diet, you’re simply
removing the trigger that leads
to symptoms (hyperglycaemia)
without addressing the actual
cause. Then, when you add carbs
back in, your body can’t tolerate
them, which makes it seem like
carbs are ‘bad’ for you – but
really, carbs are the victim
of somebody else’s crime.
After spending hours
and hours down a rabbit
hole of research, it turns
out the real culprit is
the very high levels of
saturated fat found in
meat, bacon, eggs,
butter, coconut oil etc...
which can lead to a
build-up of fat inside the
liver and muscle (called
intrahepatic and
intramyocellular lipids).
When lipids accumulate
in tissues where they
don’t belong, it can cause the cells
to become dysfunctional, leading
to insulin resistance and impaired
glucose tolerance. Sure, the
human body can convert excess
glucose to fat, but the conversion
of glucose to lipids via ‘de novo
lipogenesis’ happens to a very
small degree and those new lipids
make up a very small percentage
of intramyocellular lipids.
Furthermore, insulin has
been wrongfully demonised as
a ‘fat storage hormone’. Yes, one
of the physiological properties of
insulin is lipogenesis (fat storage),
but when you minimise your
intake of dietary fat, the impact
is minimal. The reality is, insulin
levels in the normal
physiological range are
required for survival.
Insulin is not the enemy
that many low-carb
advocates claim.
Insulin resistance is
a silent disease. Most
people don’t know they
have it because they
don’t need to monitor
their BGLs or inject
insulin on a daily basis,
but I do. As someone
living with type 1, I get
objective insights every
single day. I see first-hand the
effects of different lifestyle
variables on my insulin and
BGL control. Everyone
is different, so don’t just take
my word for it. Look it up for
yourself. The science is out
there (and has been for decades).
High-fat diets have been shown
to induce insulin resistance
and reduce glucose
tolerance. The
evidence is
eye-opening.
Insulinresistance can affect anyone
and everyone – diabetic or not.
It doesn’t discriminate.Low-carb diets work, but...
There’s no denying a low-carb
approach can lead to weight loss,
stable BGLs, reduced HbA1c,
low total insulin requirements
and overall improved diabetes
management. In fact, I couldn’t
agree more! I followed a low-carb
approach for eight years with
great results. I achieved a 70 per
cent reduction in total insulin
requirements and very stable
blood glucose control. But my
point is, those biomarkers say
nothing about one’s insulin
sensitivity and carbohydrate
tolerance. When you become
primarily fat-adapted you lose
metabolic flexibility and can’t
tolerate even small amounts
of carbs. To me, that doesn’t
sound optimal when some of
the healthiest foods known to
humans are avoided on keto.
Some say the mechanism is
insulin resistance, others say it’s
enzymatic – regardless of the
mechanisms, one thing we all
agree on is carbohydrate tolerance
goes down. I’ve even seen world-
leading keto experts admit the
keto diet induces a state of
temporary “insulin resistance”
or “glucose intolerance”. I’m not
aware of specific evidence proving
a keto diet causes type 2, but
that doesn’t mean it isn’t on the
horizon, especially because keto
is such a new health craze with
limited long-term research.
However, the evidence clearly
shows a high-fat diet impairs
glucose tolerance and induces
a state of insulin resistance. So
my concern is if someone goes
on a long-term high-fat diet, and
then ends up over-consuming
calories, gaining weight, leading