Should you go low?
Q: I know that you think that there is no single diet that works for everyone, but I’m considering trying the low-carb approach to help me lose weight. What are your thoughts on this?
JVW: Low-carb diets are generally the best choice for people who have Type 2 diabetes or symptoms of low blood sugar, or a family history of these problems. People with these problems are most likely to have some degree of insulin resistance, along with excess insulin excretion, also known as hyperinsulinism. And insulin resistance is often associated with excess weight. Low-carb diets can help control your blood sugar swings and, in turn, your insulin levels, which may very well help you take a few inches off your waist.
If you or your family members don’t have any of these problems, a low-carb diet may still help you lose some weight, but it may not work as well.
If you haven’t inherited this family tendency, then insulin resistance probably isn’t responsible for your excess weight. Obviously, a diet that is suitable for a metabolic problem you don’t have is less likely to work. But as long as you’re following a healthy low-carb diet (one that includes lots of vegetables and lean, organic meats), it certainly won’t hurt to try.
And if you want to know for certain whether or not you have insulin resistance, the glucose insulin tolerance test (GITT) can help. (See the July 2001 issue of Nutrition & Healing for more details on the GITT. Subscribers can download it for free by following the instructions outlined at the end of the article above.)
