The nutritional road that we have been on for more than 25 years has brought us to a major healthcare crisis. It is pretty hard to argue against that proposition. Going further along this road will cause a worsening of our epidemic illnesses. It is time to retrace our steps and find out where we went wrong.
My opinion is that the Dietary Guidelines for Americans is probably one of the main causes of our problem. You will find my opinions about them elsewhere on this site. As a physician I am chagrined about being sucked into this misinformation for so many years. Most physicians continue to use this misinformation and try to treat the symptoms of the metabolic syndrome, rather than to focus on it's cause.
The metabolic syndrome is a condition in which our body's cells have become resistant to the insulin hormone signals. The resistance comes from having chronically high insulin levels in our body. Insulin is one of our most powerful hormones. One of its functions is to remove high blood sugar levels in our body. Both high blood sugar and high insulin levels are toxic to our cells, because they caramelize (glycate) the fine sugar filaments that are our cell receptors. These damaged cell receptors then cause failed communication or miscommunication between cells. Foods that raise our blood sugar (high glycemic) signal our body to produce insulin and eating too much of these foods will cause chronic high insulin levels.
Another significant recent discovery is that MSGs (taste enhancers) and artificial sweeteners in our food supplies also raise insulin levels. They are excitotoxins and contain glutamate and aspartate chemicals. Our body normally has these chemical receptors for transmission of nerve impulses. When we get excessive amount of these chemicals, our nerve cells can actually be stimulated to death. When the nerve receptors on the pancreas are stimulated with these chemicals, extra insulin is secreted.
Another major error in the Dietary Guidelines is the emphasis on a low fat diet. The guidelines call for vegetable oils as the main source of fat. The ratio of the vegetable oils omega 6 and omega 3 fats should be closer to 1:1 rather that the 20-30:1 ratio that the typical American currently eats. The guidelines do not mention this ratio. Both of these unsaturated fats are oxidized in our body causing excess free radicals. The Dietary Guidelines also recommend that saturated fats be limited to not more than 10%. Healthy cells need to have saturated fats for cell wall strength and stability. Our cells can burn either fat or sugar. The guidelines emphasis on low saturated fat forces our cells to burn sugar. Before we can really be healthy our cells are going to have to learn to burn healthy fats.
If you would like to know more about excito-toxins download this Excitotoxins document.
If you would like to know more about saturated fats download this Burn Fat, Not Sugar To Lose Weight document.
Walther Meyer MD., CMD.
Nutrimed@tds.net
