Reruns of The Price is Right were playing recently. When I saw Drew Carey I was breathless, I couldn’t believe how much weight he had gained. All I could think was, “He’s a walking heart attack!” Then I saw a Facebook post saying he’d cured his own diabetes and lost 80 pounds—the new skinny Drew was almost unrecognizable. Drew’s drastic weight loss made headlines on television, the web, and health magazines.
Over the years, I’d watched Drew gain weight and worried that he might be another cardiovascular victim like John Ritter, John Candy, or Dom DeLuise. Aim insulin resistance and its accompanying heart disease are not exclusive to famous people. Nearly 8% of Americans have been officially diagnosed with diabetes, and the leading cause of death is heart disease.
Insulin resistance is when the cell becomes resistant to the hormone insulin. This happens from repeated spikes and dips in blood sugar levels from eating refined carbohydrates, also known as junk food. The body adapts to elevated insulin levels by increasing insulin receptors on cells. Cravings for sugar, diabetes, the inability to lose weight, and fat around the abdomen can all be signs of insulin resistance. Severe insulin resistance leads to type II diabetes and hypoglycemia.
Going back to Drew Carey, I didn’t know he had diabetes. It is exciting and refreshing that he figured out what to do to get rid of carbs that cause high glycemic fats. The terms low carb and no carb diet they are actually cheating. Carbohydrates are found in almost all foods at some level; some are taller than others. The more appropriate terms would be “grain-free” or “starch-free” diet. Even if Drew ate vegetables, he was still getting carbs. But if he eliminated all corn, pasta, sugar, bread and potatoes, he would be eliminating diabetes/empty fat that causes problems.
Drew also did a bit more good because he worked out. Exercise is a proven way to increase insulin resistance. This helps repair blood sugar problems over time. For example, in 2007 he was borderline diabetic. My insulin resistance problem was so bad that my blood sugar levels were in the 200s and dropped below 50, all in the same day. Sometimes within the same hour! Not good. The result: severe panic/anxiety attacks and 55 pounds overweight. Not only that, but I had a candida overgrowth, hormonal imbalance, and bad attitude! I’m sure Drew didn’t have any of those problems either, right? Unfortunately, all of these problems are interrelated, and millions of people experience one or all of them.
Diabetes poses an increased risk of depression and other mental disorders. It makes sense because blood sugar levels are directly affected by neurotransmitters (the brain chemical adrenaline) and hormones (HGH and cortisol). Let’s say Drew experienced “the blues”, now he can have a much higher outlook on life now that he has his blood sugar levels under control.