The results are that you store more of the glucose in the form of fat, if the level is high enough one may get the diagnosis of diabetes, ones risks for stroke and heart attacks go up.
And it's bad for the brain too where studies have shown links between high blood sugar and anxiety and in later years, memory disorders. Alzheimer's is called type 3 diabetes because of the strong link to chronically high blood sugar levels and its diagnosis.
The metabolic impact of insulin resistance is another reason I recommend a specific carbohydrate diet which has carbs that are known to have a low influence on insulin production and can reverse insulin resistance. The one I recommend is Gut and Psychology syndrome protocol.
Learn a little bit more about insulin and insulin resistance from Authority Nutrition. The excerpt here describes the situation when things are going well. Read the full article for the usual situation happening earlier and earlier in life. You know you don't have insulin resistance if as a woman your waist is 30 inches or less, and as a man your waist is below 34 inches.
The size of your waist is linked to how healthy you are, and it is probably the best indicator of future health.
http://authoritynutrition.com/insulin-and-insulin-resistance/Insulin and Insulin Resistance – The Ultimate Guide (my bold)
By Kris Gunnars, BSc August, 2015
35,845 views
Insulin is an important hormone that controls many processes in the body.However, problems with this hormone are at the heart of many modern health conditions.Sometimes our cells stop responding to insulin like they are supposed to.This condition is termed insulin resistance, and is incredibly common.
In fact, a 2002 study showed that 32.2% of the US population may be insulin resistant (1).
This number may rise to 70% in obese adult women and over 80% in some patient groups (2, 3). About a third of obese children and teenagers may also have insulin resistance (4).
These numbers are scary, but the good news is that insulin resistance can be dramatically improved with simple lifestyle measures.This article explains what insulin resistance is, why you should care and how you can overcome it.
Insulin and Insulin Resistance Explained
Insulin is a hormone secreted by an organ called the pancreas.Its main role is to regulate the amount of nutrients circulating in the bloodstream.Although insulin is mostly implicated in blood sugar management, it also affects fat and protein metabolism.When we eat a meal that contains carbohydrates, the amount of blood sugar in the bloodstream increases.This is sensed by the cells in the pancreas, which then release insulin into the blood.Then insulin travels around the bloodstream, telling the body’s cells that they should pick up sugar from the blood.
This leads to reduced amounts of sugar in the blood, and puts it where it is intended to go, into the cells for use or storage.
In conclusion, I recommend eating foods that have a low glycemic load and the list of those foods can be found at www.gaps.me and the full protocol in Dr. Natasha Campbell MacBride's book. It is based in scientific investigations going back to at least the 30's.
Foods that are allowed but have higher amounts of fructose, like dates, have to be limited or you will get the insulin resistance problems.
It is a delicious way to eat.
The drawback is that it is mostly cooked at home from scratch. For those who don't cook or bake there are good resources online such as The Heal Your Gut Cookbook found here http://www.amazon.ca/The-Heal-Your-Cookbook-Nutrient-Dense/dp/1603585613 or
www.comfybelly.com or
www.elanaspantry.com (not everyone can or should eat chocolate which is not allowed in GAPS).
To Your Health
Dr. Barbara
