Do Low Carbohydrate Diets Work?
Those who advocate severe carbohydrate restriction point to the relationship between ingesting carbohydrate and the insulin response. Insulin is a vital hormone that regulates the entry of glucose to the cells, helps the body store fat, and at high levels, is associated with damage of the arterial walls. Carbohydrate ingestion stimulates insulin production. The problem is that the more insulin is produced, the more resistant the cells can become to insulin, so the blood glucose can’t enter the cells as easily, and blood glucose and circulating insulin levels remain high, causing damage. The problem is that insulin resistance is not caused by simply ingesting carbohydrates, and is not completely solved by eliminating them. Insulin resistance has a very strong genetic component, and is heavily influenced by level of physical fitness and the degree of body fatness. Generally, the more fit a person is, the less resistant they are to insulin, and the more body fat a person has, the more res
