In 2012 almost 2 million Canadians (7% of our population) reported having diabetes - undiagnosed numbers not included in this projection. We are all aware that diabetes is an epidemic sweeping across our nation. But do we know what diabetes is or why it occurs? I sometimes have a hard time figuring it out, even with a degree in human movement - this stuff can be tricky to grasp. Lets get a better understanding.
When we eat our bodies must digest food based on three macronutrients: fat, protein, and carbohydrates. However, our bodies don't view food as calories such as yourself and I. The body recognizes food as fuel instead. If you eat more fuel than your body needs, your body will have to store it somewhere. Eventually, carbohydrates are broken down into simple sugars via the body's digestive process. However, too many of these sugars can be toxic to your body. Your body is able to move sugar into your muscle and liver "glycogen stores" Think of these glycogen storage sites as a dishwasher and sugar molecules as your dishes. Glycogen is stored as sugar polymers until it is needed in times of activity and energy need.
Lets talk a bit about insulin. Insulin is a hormone that allows glucose to enter your cells. But when these glycogen storage sites can hold no more, the energy is then converted into fat. So now we have a full dishwasher full of dishes causing us to fill the sink with a ton of unsightly dirty dishes (fat storage). Today as a whole we eat to many bad carbohydrates. Overtime of cells become resistant to insulin; this in the science world is known as "down regulation" Time after time of over exposure to elevated glucose (sugar) our cells become even more insulin resistant. This excess insulin and sugar is toxic, inflammatory and very damaging (free radicals). Our muscles then become insulin resistant which halts effective muscle production and inhibits fat burning due to the decrease in fat burning enzymes (lipase).
In turn this turns into a constant roller coaster of ups and downs due to insulin being secreted and energy not being able to be stored and burned correctly. This makes you crave more carbohydrates even after just demolishing an astounding amount of food. This used to happen to me after eating cereal in the morning - I would be hungry half an hour later.
How to avoid all of this? Move more. Physical activity depletes muscle glycogen stores (empty the dishwasher so you can put more dishes in). Cut back on empty calorie carbohydrates. Whooooaa he's a low carb fanatic your thinking....No, far from it. Carbohydrates are good at the right time and from the right source. Different demographics will be able to tolerate more carbohydrates than others (blue collar workers, endurance athletes, ectomorphs).
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