Emma Miller
The main cause of obesity is excessive consumption of food with a high glycemic index.
An international team of scientists from the United States, Denmark, and Canada has found new root causes of obesity. Researchers claim that they are not related to the amount of food consumed. The whole point is in its composition. This is stated in an article published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, EurekAlert writes.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 40% of U.S. adults are obese. These people are at high risk of developing heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and certain types of cancer.
Traditionally, weight loss methodology recommends reducing the number of calories you take in and increasing your expenditure through physical activity. This way you can balance your energy.
However, the authors of this paper proposed an alternative carbohydrate-insulin model. It says that the main cause of obesity is excessive consumption of foods with a high glycemic index, particularly processed foods with a large amount of fast-digesting carbohydrates.
Such foods form the basis of the modern Western style of eating and cause hormonal shifts that slow down the main process responsible for obesity – metabolism.
“When we eat processed carbohydrates, the body increases insulin secretion and suppresses glucagon secretion. This, in turn, signals fat cells to store more calories, leaving less energy to fuel muscles and other metabolically active tissues,” the release says.
The brain, analyzing this information, decides that the body is not getting enough energy and increases the feeling of hunger.
“Reducing the intake of fast-digesting carbohydrates not only eliminates the main cause of fat accumulation in the body but also relieves the constant feeling of hunger,” the experts concluded.
