Low Carb Induced Severe Insulin Resistance?

MightyFall

Member
Joined
Sep 29, 2013
Messages
41
Location
UK
I was low carb from March to June, initially started a ketogenic diet but progressed to a moderate carb diet. Throughout this awful, groggy journey I was experiencing reactive hypoglycemia (something that was never an issue before). Ever since I started introducing carbs as the main macronutrient in my diet I've been experiencing some problems. I'm balancing sugar and starch (more starch), some protein and low-moderate fat. My diet consists of whole foods, such as rice, fruits, corn, plenty of salt, dairy, meat etc.

My reactive hypolgycemia has in fact worsened, and I know I'm insulin resistant. I am continuously short of breath (especially post-meal), I get bouts of brain fog and poor focus/concentration.

Any suggestions would be helpful. I tried completely eliminating sugar (symptoms got even worse), keeping a moderate carb/fat ratio, eating a good amount of protein with meals, supplements (chromium, biotin, manganese, vitamin E, iodine, B complex vitamins), eating low GI foods. My blood tests are completely normal apart from a slightly low blood count. I initially assumed it was my metabolism switching to utilizing glucose again but I have been feeling like this for three months.
 

Gabriel

Member
Joined
May 7, 2013
Messages
229
Have you tried eliminating starch and switch to simple sugars (milk, fruit)?
 
OP
M

MightyFall

Member
Joined
Sep 29, 2013
Messages
41
Location
UK
Gabriel said:
Have you tried eliminating starch and switch to simple sugars (milk, fruit)?

I have. In fact I forgot to mention this. I had seen a slight improvement in my energy levels but I had a hard time consuming all that sugar. Fruit juice (natural, not concentrated) gave me mouth ulcers, I had a terrible experience with hard candy and refined, white sugar destroying my teeth, fruit makes me cold. Maple syrup and honey are great but difficult to add to meals or food.

I fear all that white sugar decaying my teeth. I'm a young male so I need more calories and carbs for my physical demands, so getting an example of 400g+ sugar a day is almost impossible.
 
OP
M

MightyFall

Member
Joined
Sep 29, 2013
Messages
41
Location
UK
After a high carb meal, usually 6-7.5 mmol. My fasting blood sugar is normal. I don't test it often.
 
OP
M

MightyFall

Member
Joined
Sep 29, 2013
Messages
41
Location
UK
Black Forest said:
One more question. How long after eating are you testing?
Only a few times to test the glucose meter and directly after eating a meal. When do you recommend testing my blood sugar levels?
 

Black Forest

New Member
Joined
Aug 11, 2013
Messages
4
My daughter is Type 1 diabetic and my wife has similar issues as you do but not all the time. You should be checking 1,2 and 3 hours after eating to get a clear picture of what is going on. It would seem to me that being insulin resistant and hypoglycemic would be opposite problems but I could be wrong. One problem that my daughter sometime experiences is a feeling of being hypoglycemic when what is actually going on is just that her Blood Glucose level is going down too quickly. My wife has felt like she was going to pass out not long after eating but her BG was pretty much where it should have been. We didn't track her BG to find out what was actually going on. Your issues seem more chronic so the cost of those strips would probably be worth doing a bunch of testing.
 

Gabriel

Member
Joined
May 7, 2013
Messages
229
You didnt mention milk. Have you tried to get the majority of your calories from it (2-3 liters)? It's also easier on the teeth than sugar or fruit.
 

Swandattur

Member
Joined
Mar 17, 2013
Messages
1,137
Location
Florida
You can get a type of hypoglycemia, even though your blood sugar has not gone dangerously low at all. Somehow your body interprets lower than it's used to as an emergency situation and poors on the adrenalin and other stress hormones. Lots of people in my family have this problem. On the other hand my dad has severe diabetes and uses insulin and he gets dangerously low blood sugars at times where his brain isn't getting enough glucose.

I find I do much better with absolutely no starch at all, as far as blood sugar readings. I eat lots of fruit and sugar.
 

Dewitt

Member
Joined
Aug 22, 2013
Messages
42
Age
30
Location
Germany
After studying all the research about the Randle Cycle and trying to evaluate it with my own education in biochemistry, it seems clear to me that high levels of free fatty acids are the most likely cause of insulin resistance. That a low-carb diet would induce this issue is not suprising. No diet raises FFA levels as much as a low-carb diet - except maybe for fasting, but I wouldn't really consider that a diet.

I think lowering FFA levels would be the most important thing to do. Getting a steady stream of carbohydrates is crucial - sugar should be the preffered carb-source as it can used even when glucose cannot (as in insulin resistance). Avoiding all PUFAs is another important step, as PUFAs inhibit one of the key rate-limiting enzymes in oxidative metabolism - pyruvate dehydrogenase - by raising pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase, thereby destabilizing pyruvate dehydrogenase and ultimately increasing lactate production.
The pituitary hormones can raise FFA levels and induce insulin resistance as well. Lowering prolactin, HGH and cortisol levels is therefore just as important. Even though having some protein at a meal can supress FFA levels somewhat, a high-protein diet increases the secretion of all the pituitary hormones. I think the 80-100g protein Peat often recommends would be fine if you get enough carbohydrates.
Dietary fat can increase FFA levels, but they can be supressed by sufficient carbohydrate and protein intake. But I believe having a significantly lower fat intake in relation to your carbohydrate intake would still be beneficial. However, it is just as beneficial to eat some fat very frequently, as dietary saturated fats displace the free PUFAs in the bloodstream. Drinking a glass of whole milk every now and then would be perfect for this, as is eating a teaspoon of coconut oil every hour or so.
To supress the pituitary hormones and cortisol (that is indirectly increased by ACTH, a pituitary hormone) further, I would recommend taking aspirin. It is the cheapest and most easily available option.
 

Mastemah

Member
Joined
Jul 23, 2012
Messages
128
More salt to go w more potassium. Rinse mouth out w baking soda after juice. Some need baking soda in juice. How's your temps?
 

NooMoahk

Member
Joined
Oct 14, 2013
Messages
48
MightyFall said:
I had a terrible experience with hard candy and refined, white sugar destroying my teeth

What makes you say that? I have always noticed a connection with acids and with general bad metabolism/allergies but never white sugar. I think if it did, your immune system is not able to keep the bacterial populations of the mouth in check. Or perhaps it depletes one of minerals which are needed to protect the teeth?
 

Swandattur

Member
Joined
Mar 17, 2013
Messages
1,137
Location
Florida
Staying off any starch whatsoever on a day to day basis really helps with my blood sugar. I think allergies or sensitivities to foods play a role, too. I found my blood sugar went up after eating this cheese I liked. I also had sugar in coffee at the same time, but normally my blood sugar doesn't rise much from that unless I've been eating starch. Maybe you could supplement vitamin k for your teeth, and make sure your vitamin D levels are good.
 
OP
M

MightyFall

Member
Joined
Sep 29, 2013
Messages
41
Location
UK
NooMoahk said:
MightyFall said:
I had a terrible experience with hard candy and refined, white sugar destroying my teeth

What makes you say that? I have always noticed a connection with acids and with general bad metabolism/allergies but never white sugar. I think if it did, your immune system is not able to keep the bacterial populations of the mouth in check. Or perhaps it depletes one of minerals which are needed to protect the teeth?

It could be a combination of other stuff I was consuming at the time, such as daily consumption of a large Nerds box that had GMOs and HFCS in its ingredients, 2-3 litres of regular Coco-Cola a day or poor oral hygiene.

I am having a hard time consuming enough sugar, I can feel my teeth getting more sensitive since I reintroduced hard candy and fruit juice into my diet. I've also noticed some small mouth ulcers and soreness in the back of my throat.

I am also certain the recurring shortness of breath I experience throughout the day is related to elevated insulin levels. My doctor seems to think it's anxiety, but it is not. I find it hard to consume enough calories so I always resort to eating calorie-dense starches such as white rice, corn, potatoes, and even gluten in the form of bread, cereals to meet daily calorie needs as a 5'9 male.

Waking up every morning with improved energy (eventually getting tired and hungry), but as soon as anything touches my lips and enters my digestive track, the brain fog returns, I experience chronic fatigue, poor mental acuity, depression, lack of motivation etc. (all the symptoms of low blood sugar). It has affected my performance at work so extensively that I have considered quitting my position. I feel less productive. I lose focus midway through a conversation and start daydreaming.

I am taking one capsule of 'raw thyroid' and two capsules of 'raw adrenal' daily for just less than a week now. I don't feel any different, in fact probably more depressed and fatigued in the mornings & afternoons (feeling better in the evenings). I have also noticed since starting the supplements some blood circulation issues - i.e. when I wake up sleeping on my hand or arm, it feels numb for approximately 30 mins - an hour, whereas this was never an issue before.

Venturing into ketosis and being so committed to Paleo/low carb has proved extremely detrimental to my health (only a four month stint), it feels like there's another symptom waiting to strike at every corner.
 

jyb

Member
Joined
Nov 9, 2012
Messages
2,783
Location
UK
I think that the insulin and oral sensitivity is due to candy rather than fruit juice - in my experience I never get ulcer if I stick to fresh fruit juice. Things like haribo leave a layer of sugar everywhere in the mouth that probably feeds bacteria and promotes those mouth ulcers. So during the day when I don't have access to quality juice, I'm bit more careful to rinse my mouth if needed. Also, fruit juice which is high in potassium isn't an insulin problem as much as coke and candy, I think. You shouldn't experience any crash after fruit juice. The meals you describes (bread, cereals) could be replaced by dairy? I too would feel terrible whenever eating such starch, so I just avoid eating them and I feel good.
 

Mittir

Member
Joined
Feb 20, 2013
Messages
2,033
Does the breathing problem happen after every meal?
Does it happen only when you eat after a long period of time.
How often do you eat?
Ray Peat talked about poor quality of supplement and he used to cure
people's allergy just by advising them to stop taking all their supplements.
If you are hypothyroid the best idea is to use cynoplus with some cynomel,
which RP recommends. If you do not have access to medication you can
try fish head soup or chicken neck soup. There are considerable amount of
thyroid hormone in these. You can eat ice cream or sweet chocolate instead of hard candy.
These are rich in calories, but will be less damaging to dental enamel than hard candy.
 
OP
M

MightyFall

Member
Joined
Sep 29, 2013
Messages
41
Location
UK
Mittir said:
Does the breathing problem happen after every meal?
Does it happen only when you eat after a long period of time.
How often do you eat?
Ray Peat talked about poor quality of supplement and he used to cure
people's allergy just by advising them to stop taking all their supplements.
If you are hypothyroid the best idea is to use cynoplus with some cynomel,
which RP recommends. If you do not have access to medication you can
try fish head soup or chicken neck soup. There are considerable amount of
thyroid hormone in these. You can eat ice cream or sweet chocolate instead of hard candy.
These are rich in calories, but will be less damaging to dental enamel than hard candy.

Yeah, when I wake up in a fasting state my breathing is pretty smooth and comfortable, but as soon as I eat it gets heavier and remains that way for the rest of the day (it sometimes subsides). I usually have a combination of sugar and starch for breakfast, and eat two-three times a day snacking on fruit or gummy bears.

I don't believe I'm hypothyroid as my blood tests were normal. My adrenal glands could be worn out, but so far no improvement with the adrenal supplements.
 

Similar threads

Back
Top Bottom