Carbohydrate Intolerance / Insulin Resistance
Carbohydrate intolerance/insulin resistance are terms often used interchangeably because they usually go hand-in-hand. Carbohydrate intolerance is when a person doesn’t tolerate carbohydrates very well, usually gluten containing products or simple sugars. They typically crave sugar but it may give them a headache, feeling of weakness, or make them irritable, edgy, unfocused, or angry. Insulin resistance is a term used to signify that the body’s cells have become resistant to the insulin produced by the pancreas resulting in a rise in blood sugar. In a normal person, about 40% of consumed carbohydrates are converted to fat. In a person with CI, that number increases to 50-60%. The excess insulin can cause blood sugar to drop too quickly, and then the adrenal glands must kick in to get the blood sugar back up. Not only will this cause more stress on the adrenal glands, but usually too much glucose is released, further causing the pancreas to produce more insulin. Around and around it goes. Eventually, the body must produce more insulin to metabolize the same amount of glucose. CI is caused by a number of factors; some of the more common reasons include increased stress hormones, a diet containing hydrogenated fats, a food allergy (milk is the most common as it has been shown to attack the beta cells of the pancreas – this is why children under 1 year old are advised not to consume dairy), a high carbohydrate diet, and caffeine. Insulin resistance can cause the following:
- BLOCK MAJOR HORMONES INCLUDING DHEA AND THE CONVERSION OF T4 TO T3 (THYROID HORMONES) AS WELL AS LOWERED GROWTH HORMONE
- ELEVATE BLOOD PRESSURE
- ELEVATE TRIGLYCERIDES AND LDL, THE “BAD” CHOLESTEROL
- AN INCREASED TENDENCY TO GAIN FAT IN THE UPPER BODY
- PMS AND POLYCYSTIC OVARIES IN WOMEN
- DECREASE ENERGY OUTPUT, ESPECIALLY AFTER EATING
- GIVE A CRAVING FOR SUGAR – A “SWEET TOOTH”
- HANDS GO NUMB AND “FALL ASLEEP” AT NIGHT, OR INDUCE A “PINS & NEEDLES” FEELING DOWN THE HANDS, ESPECIALLY DURING EXERCISE
- IRRITABILITY & UNSTABLE MOODS
STEPS TO IMPROVE CARBOHYDRATE METABOLISM and INSULIN SENSITIVITY:
- FOLLOW THE “TWO-WEEK TEST” TO SEE YOUR CARBOHYDRATE TOLERANCE LEVEL
- CHECK OUT THE PALEO DIET
- CONSUME ADEQUATE HEALTHY FATS (EGGS, AVOCADO, COCONUT, BUTTER, RED MEAT, NUTS & SEEDS) TO SUSTAIN YOUR ENERGY FOR SEVERAL HOURS
- EVALUATE NEED FOR NUTRIENTS: CHROMIUM, VANADIUM, ZINC, AND SESAME SEED OIL.
- EXERCISE AEROBICALLY UNTIL YOU HAVE A SUFFICIENT AEROBIC BASE; THEN CONSIDER ANAEROBIC ENDURANCE TRAINING
- WEIGHT LIFTING/STRENGTH TRAINING CAN HELP OR HINDER AT FIRST; IT DEPENDS ON YOUR SITUATION AND TYPE OF TRAINING
Hi,
I have started the two week test and I was wondering is it ok to have Mozarella cheese as I know this is quite milky cheese?
I see you told someone they could have decaf coffee is it ok to have decaf tea?
Thank you
Suzanne
The cheese should be fine, though I wouldn’t go crazy on it.
Either coffee or tea, decaf or regular, is fine.
Hi,
Thanks for the information. Are there any type of cheese which should be avoided apart from the processed cheese?
Also I have been having problems eating tomatoes. I seem to be ok on fresh tomatoes but having a problem with tinned tomatoes. Could there be something in the tinned tomatoes giving me problems? As soon as I eat tinned tomatoes I am in agony pain and bloated instantly.
Thank you.
No on the cheese. Could be so many problems with the canned food from the BPA, preservatives, concentration, pesticides, etc.
I get hyper, anxious, when I consume any type of carbs and i can feel it instantly. I lack focus and it always seems foggy. I’m super sensitive to any types of carbs and I’ve been like this for as long as I can remember, although its gotten worse I think in the past 5 yrs I think. Iare there any other explanation for this? Is my only option to cut carbs?
It’s never your only option – as the post discusses hormones have a lot to do with it. Gut issues (dysbiosis) can cause sugar handling problems too. Cutting carbs is rarely a bad idea though.
It’s never your only option – as the post discusses hormones have a lot to do with it. Gut issues (dysbiosis) can cause sugar handling problems too. Cutting carbs is rarely a bad idea though.
I was diagnosed with PCOS when I was 15 -31 years ago. I never understood what it all entailed. I struggled with my weight but played sports and ran to keep it under control. when I was 30 I was in a motorcycle accident and am now a t-4 paraplegic. I have had the worst time keeping the weight off! I then when to see a nutritionist and he told me it was from IR. put me on metformin, I wrote everything down I ate eating 50% protien, 30 fat and 20 carbs and exercised (water jogged int he pool) this helped me lose the weight. I became sensitive to the metformin and couldnt take it any longer. I started wondering why I have such a hard time keeping weight off and why all medicines bother me. and pretty much have had to unravel the puzzle myself. I had a revelation the other day that I am allergic to carbs. I googled just that phrase and well, now I know. the whole list of symptoms is spot on. my questions are is there a natural alternative to metformin? could my carb intolerance be a symptom of my adrenal glands or lacking something in my diet? what causes carb intolerance? Thank you for your wisdom! I wish I would have found this site eons ago. by the way my fasting insulin level was 58 a month ago. she put me on junivia and it is at 34 now. still way too high! help; and my daughter has the same issues.
Hi Mona, thanks for the comment. The “natural alternative” to CI is diet and lifestyle. The only food “supplement” I recommend to a non-patient since there’s no harm in taking it is UNrefined sesame seed oil. You can get this at pretty much any health food store. Make sure it is unrefined. It’s great to use on salads – do NOT cook with it. Using around 1TB a day can help with inflammation caused by insulin resistance.
I put my patients on the Paleo-Type diet, http://www.drgangemi.com/2011/07/paleo_diet/ and for those with gut problems then the FODMAPs Diet – which is very similar. http://www.drgangemi.com/2011/08/fodmaps/.
Fasting insulin should be <15 – ideally <10.
Thank you for the response! I have already started the TWT. What is your view for the TWT on turkey bacon and burger? I was reading the ingredients last night and noticed the hidden MSG. Should I continue the metformin while doing this trial (I just started the stuff anyway)?
I would love, love, love to have a consult. sigh, only if insurance would cover it. Thank you again for your wisdom!
Turkey stuff is fine as long as there are no hidden sugars or additives, including MSG. I can’t advise you to take or not to take a medication; sorry!
Hi. I have reactive hypoglycemia and find that when I eat a diet with carbs (even healthy carbs) in it then I need to eat a lot of fat and I have hypoglycemia symptoms. When I go to a high protein diet, then my carb tolerance falls to zero and I feel the effects of the carbs immediately (as well as getting hypoglycemia symptoms). The immediate symptoms I have when I eat a carb (even vegetables) are that I feel weak in the middle of my body, have difficulty breathing, and need to eat fat to stabilize myself. Then depending on how much I ate or other factors, I may be our of commission for the next several hours. Right now my diet consists of meat, fish, eggs, nuts, butter and olive oil. Have you ever heard of this? Thank you very much!
Yes and you may have something else driving your carb intolerance. Too much stress, past (or current) injuries, food allergies – just some of the things that can cause this problem. Also, it depends what you consider “a lot”. I’d say most people do best on a diet well over 50% fat.
Thank you for replying. Do you have any ideas of what I can do to help it? I’ve cleared my food allergies multiple times with elimination diets, TBM and NAET. As for stress I’ve not worked now for over a year and have no real obligations – so I don’t know how to reduce it any more! I’m interested that you have heard of others with the reaction I have since I haven’t been able to find anything else on it yet on the internet. Is there anything written anywhere that describes my particular reaction that you can recommend to help me understand it better? I’m about to start breathing exercises and I’m hoping that will help. Do other people have the exact same reaction or just something similar? When you say injuries do you mean physical or emotional? Thank you again.
You’re welcome but really hard to say too much more since it’s so individualized and that’s impossible for me to say w/o seeing you. You might try the FODMAPS Diet I discuss on this site as the dysglycemia could be from a gut issue.
By injuries in this case I was referring to physical.
Is there an explanation for why my body can handle oatmeal, beans, and honey and not handle refined sugars? Does this mean I am not carbohydrate intolerant, but maybe more sensitive to insulin responses?
Well it just means you’re more sensitive to higher fructose or sucrose foods and not those that are more complex carbs. Honey is kinda the exception but generally well tolerated because its natural & unprocessed (hopefully!).