Carbohydrate Intolerance

With generations of people over-consuming refined carbohydrates, many now have a health problem I have termed “carbohydrate intolerance,” or CI. It’s a widespread phenomenon. Though most people are unaware such a condition even exists in its early stages, a high percentage of the population suffers from CI in all stages. The symptoms of early CI are very common and include sleepiness after meals, intestinal bloating, increased body fat, fatigue, and many others as shown in the survey below. The middle stages of CI are often accompanied by higher blood fats—especially triglycerides but also cholesterol—and hypertension. Later stages include diabetes, obesity, cancer, and heart disease.

  Some Examples of Higher and Lower Glycemic Foods  
  Higher Glycemic Foods  
  Refined flour products: bread, chips, bagels, cereals  
  Sugar and sugar-containing foods: candy, cookies, soda  
  Sweet fruits: pineapple, watermelon, grapes, bananas, all fruit juice  
  Starchy vegetables: potatoes, corn  
  Lower Glycemic Foods  
  Unrefined grains: whole rye, wheat germ, high fiber products  
  Low sugar fruits: apples, peaches, pears, berries, melon  
  Lentils, beans  
  All other vegetables  

 

广告：个人专属 VPN，独立 IP，无限流量，多机房切换，还可以屏蔽广告和恶意软件，每月最低仅 5 美元

 

The early stages of CI can be vague, often unrecognized by health-care professionals and lay people alike. A variety of names and changing definitions have been used by organizations like the ADA (American Diabetes Association) and WHO (World Health Organization) in relation to these abnormal carbohydrate and glucose problems. All this is an attempt to better understand the issues, although more comprehensive standardized definitions are still lacking. We know there’s a full spectrum of carbohydrate (glucose) function in the body, from the normal, healthy condition to the other extreme of diabetes. In between are many abnormal states, some more mild and others more serious. Many people go through life progressing through part of or the entire spectrum. Rather than getting confused about defining the different stages (an important task for researchers and clinicians), it’s best to just call this full spectrum carbohydrate intolerance.

Many clinicians discuss this full spectrum of CI from a standpoint of glucose: there’s normal glucose and impaired glucose. Depending on test results and their interpretations, a concoction of names has resulted, which has continued to confuse health-care professionals and lay people alike. For example, common classifications of early stages CI include impaired glucose metabolism, impaired blood sugar, glucose intolerance , and others. Insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia are names applied in later, more chronic conditions.

Even the term hypoglycemia, originally only discussed in relation to diabetics, is a condition now known to occur in individuals who are free of measurable disease. Further confusion exists because some hypoglycemic reactions are normal; it’s the abnormal form that exists as a result of excess insulin production.

CI can also affect endurance performance in several ways, including reduction of fat burning, promotion of chronic inflammation, and injuries.

Like most problems, CI is an individual one, affecting different people in different ways. Only you can determine how intolerant you are to carbohydrates and to what degree. Blood tests will diagnose the problem only in the middle and later stages, but the signs and symptoms may have begun years earlier. The key to avoiding the full spectrum of CI is to be aware of it in its earliest stage and to make the appropriate diet and lifestyle changes. This can improve athletic performance and quality of life immediately, and prevent the onset of disease later.

Following is a list of some common signs and symptoms of various stages of CI. Many complaints occur immediately following a meal heavy in carbohydrates. Keeping in mind that these signs and symptoms may be related to other causes, ask yourself if you have any of these problems:

Physical fatigue. Whether you call it fatigue or exhaustion, the most common feature of CI is that it wears people out. Some are tired just in the morning or afternoon; others are exhausted all day.

Mental fatigue. Sometimes the fatigue of CI is physical, but often it’s mental (as opposed to psychological); the inability to concentrate is the most evident symptom. Poor memory, failing or poor grades in school, and loss of creativity often accompany CI, as do various forms of “learning disabilities.” This is much more pronounced immediately after a meal, or if a meal is delayed or missed. The worker who returns to his or her job site after lunch, only to be unable to concentrate due to mental fatigue, is a very common example. Some actually fall asleep at their desk after lunch.

Blood sugar problems. The blood sugar may be normal until a carbohydrate meal is consumed, or if meals are not eaten on a regular schedule. Periods of erratic blood sugar, including abnormal hypoglycemia, accompanied by many of the symptoms listed here, are not normal. Feeling jittery, agitated, and moody is common with CI and is relieved almost immediately once food is eaten. Dizziness is also common, as is the craving for sweets, chocolate, or caffeine. These symptoms are not necessarily associated with abnormal blood sugar levels but may be related to neurological stress, possibly due to the rapid changes in blood sugar and insulin.

Intestinal bloating. Foods that produce the most intestinal gas are complex carbohydrates, specifically starches, such as wheat products and potatoes, and other non-starch carbohydrates such as sugar. People with CI often suffer from excessive gas production. Antacids, or other remedies for symptomatic relief, are not very successful in dealing with the problem. The gas tends to build and is worse later in the day and at night.

Sleepiness. Many people with CI get sleepy immediately after meals containing more than their limit of carbohydrates. This occurs typically after a pasta meal, or even a meat meal that includes bread, potatoes, or dessert.

Increased body fat. For most people, too much weight is also too much fat. Often, the location of this excess body fat is unique between the sexes. In males, an increase in abdominal fat is more evident and an early sign of CI; this leads to a “carbo belly.” In females, fat storage is often more prominent in the upper body; in a woman’s face, “chipmunk cheeks” may be a telltale sign.

Increased triglycerides. High triglycerides in the blood are often seen in people with CI. These triglycerides are the direct result of carbohydrates from the diet being converted by insulin into fat. In my experience, fasting triglyceride levels over 100 mg/dl may be an indication of a carbohydrate-intolerance problem (even though 150 and above is considered abnormal).

High blood pressure. Most people with hypertension have CI. There is often a direct relationship between insulin levels and blood pressure—as average insulin levels elevate, so does blood pressure. For some, regardless of whether the blood pressure is elevated, sodium sensitivity is common and eating too much sodium causes 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.

Furthermore, the medical history of you or your immediate family may indicate a vulnerability to CI. This includes a personal or family history of diabetes, kidney or gall stones, gout, high blood pressure, high cholesterol /low HDL, high triglycerides, heart disease, stroke, or breast cancer.

Certain types of people are more vulnerable to CI, including those who are under more stress, taking estrogen, dark skinned, and those with a family history of diabetes or other metabolic syndrome diseases. In addition, aging is frequently accompanied by increased carbohydrate intolerance.