Before we move on, it’s important to be aware of the
myriad of factors other than “chronic carbs” that may
contribute to reduced sensitivity to insulin, thereby raising
insulin levels and impairing blood sugar control. These
include sleep deprivation, genes, exposure to toxic industrial
chemicals, and inflammation driven by the consumption of
polyunsaturated oils. Research shows that a healthy person
who undergoes one single night of sleep deprivation will
have impaired insulin sensitivity the following day—
essentially making them temporarily prediabetic, all before
any carbs are ever eaten!
Chronic stress is another bad guy, able to throw your
insulin system out of whack. It can be contributed to by
many factors, some obvious, and some not so obvious.
Even something as innocuous as noise pollution becomes a
major problem in the developed world and can drive
chronic, low-grade stress, which can in turn affect metabolic
health. A Danish study found that for every ten-decibel
increase in traffic noise in proximity to one’s residence,
there was an 8 percent increased risk of diabetes.^23 This
association shot up to 11 percent over a five-year period.
We will revisit sleep and stress in chapter 9.