by Albert Cilia Vincenti

Abstract:

Anxiety is a universal human experience. It is an unpleasant mood and is often accompanied by the physical symptoms of autonomic arousal and fearful cognitions. Its duration, intensity and impact on daily function determine whether it is a disorder or an appropriate response which prepares the individual to successfully manage risk. Maladaptive thought processing underpins a range of anxiety disorders. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, anxiolytic and antidepressant medications are the mainstay of treatment.

When whole-wheat flour is processed into white flour, or brown rice into white rice, the fibre and bran are removed, turning a “good carbohydrate” into a “bad carbohydrate”. Removing fibre and bran results in four unhealthy consequences:

1. Large amounts of “bad carbohydrates” can be eaten without feeling full. Removing fibre allows consumption of virtually unlimited calories without feeling full.

2. “Bad carbohydrates” are absorbed quickly raising blood glucose rapidly. When blood glucose rises too much, the pancreas secrete insulin to bring it back down. It may go down too much, and the resulting hypoglycaemia produces lethargy and a craving for more “bad carbohydrates”. A vicious cycle is created and “bad carbohydrates” become addictive.

3. Too much insulin accelerates conversion of calories into triglycerides, which is how the body stores fat. As explained, eating a lot of “bad carbohydrates” leads to excessive consumption of calories without feeling full, and these extra calories are converted to body fat. Insulin may also encourage more lipoprotein lipase production, increasing fat uptake into cells, leading to weight gain. High triglyceride level in blood lipid profile tests is therefore a surrogate marker for hyperinsulinaemia.

4. Chronic secretion of too much insulin may lead to insulin resistance and even diabetes. Repeated surges of insulin in response to too many “bad carbohydrates” may make insulin receptors on cells less sensitive, leading to insulin resistance, which in turn induces more insulin production just to maintain the same effect on blood glucose. With time, this may lead to type 2 diabetes. Insulin is a growth factor, and chronic hyperinsulinaemia enhances arterial smooth muscle proliferation and promotion of atherosclerosis. High triglycerides, combined with low high density lipoprotein levels in blood lipid profile tests, is one of the best risk indicators for atherosclerosis and its complications. Being a growth factor, hyperinsulinaemia also increases risk for a number of cancers.

Never eating bad carbohydrates is too restrictive and unrealistic. In moderation they may be safely consumed along with good carbohydrates and other high fibre foods. The fibre in good carbohydrates will slow the absorption of bad carbohydrates. What matters is the glycaemic index (or load) of the whole meal, not just individual foods. Some people may need to limit their bad carbohydrate intake more than others, depending on their overall state of health.

Trying to lose weight may eventually generate guilt feelings due to presumed lack of motivation or discipline. However, individual variations in biology, not just willpower, may play a role in weight loss. A study published in The Journal of the American Medical Association showed that individual variations in biology may cause some to have a harder time losing weight and keeping it off than others. In the study, 73 obese young adults were assigned to either a conventional low-fat, high-glycaemic-load diet or a low-glycaemic-load diet. The people found to secrete insulin slowly lost the same amount of weight on both diets. Those who secreted insulin rapidly and were on the low-glycaemic-load diet lost five times more weight, and they kept all the weight off throughout the 18 months of the study.

The study above concludes that when it comes to healthy eating, one size may not fit all. It may be unwise to recommend decreasing dietary fat without adequate attention to the carbohydrates that replace them, and vice versa. It’s not low-fat versus low-carbohydrate – both are important. An optimal approach may be a diet containing high-quality, unprocessed low-glycaemic carbohydrates, plant-based proteins, and fats.

This study found that people who secrete insulin too quickly lose more weight when they eat low-glycaemicindex foods (which don’t provoke an excessive insulin response). A glucose tolerance test will tell whether an individual secretes insulin rapidly or slowly, but this is not usually necessary to perform. If one eats predominantly low-glycaemic-index foods, whether he/she secretes insulin fast or slowly doesn’t matter very much, as these foods won’t provoke a rapid insulin response even if genetically predisposed to rapid insulin secretion. In summary, there is corresponding benefit to the degree of substitution of good carbohydrates for refined bad carbohydrates, but it’s not an all-or-nothing effect.