I had the pleasure of hosting a telegathering recently with Dr. Deborah Kern and Dr. Karen Wolfe. The subject of the call is a mouthful and a bit of a brainteaser: “The Secret Science Behind Weight-Loss, Hormone Balancing, Beautiful Skin, and Eternal Vitality.” We were asked to “Reveal the most important piece of information you need to know about your body to have sustainable weight-loss, balanced hormones, beautiful skin, and eternal vitality.”

While it might seem that these subjects are unrelated—and it would take a lot longer than 30 minutes to cover them—there is actually one thing they have in common. That’s sugar.

The body needs some amount of sugar to function properly. When you eat, your insulin rises, which causes the body to send blood sugar to your muscles to use as energy. However, if your insulin levels remain high because you’ve eaten more sugar than your body can utilize for energy, the sugar in your blood stream gets stored as fat—most often around your middle.

These insulin spikes occur from high glycemic foods, too. These are foods that convert to sugar in the bloodstream even though they may not taste sweet. Some good examples are white rice, white potatoes, and white bread as well as just about every processed food. The more you spike your blood sugar, the more you experience systemic inflammation. This increases your risk of developing diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.

Inflammation wreaks havoc on your complexion and your hormones, too.  It can also cause surges of cortisol, the fight or flight hormone. Cortisol exacerbates your physiological response to stress, and when it cycles on continuously, you are likely to experience inflammation, weight gain, and out-and-out exhaustion.

Sugar is insidious. Here are some facts about sugar’s affect on the body that Dr. Deb, Dr. Karen, and I shared on the call.

Blood sugar has a direct impact on your steroid sex hormones—estrogen, progesterone, and androgens (including testosterone). So, when you eat a low glycemic diet, it can help balance your hormones. You may even experience a decrease in hot flashes and insomnia. Excess blood sugar and insulin leads to too much testosterone in a woman’s body. This can cause unwanted facial hair in women and lower a man’s testosterone level.

Belly fat:

o In men, the higher (more) the belly fat, the lower the testosterone.
o In women, the higher (more) the belly fat, the higher the kind of
male hormones connected with acne, rosacea, poor sleep, and fluid
retention.
o We gain weight in our midsection when our stress levels and/or
cortisol levels are high.

When you eat a high glycemic meal, it causes bloating and weight gain from “liquid pounds.” This can become permanent weight gain if you don’t re-establish low glycemic eating patterns. Although many Americans don’t know about the glycemic index, the term is more accepted in Europe. Many foods in Europe have packages with the glycemic index on them.

Because white bread, white rice, cereals, juices, and processed foods are marketed to our children, more children than ever are being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.

The higher your cortisol levels, from sugar, stress, or adrenal exhaustion, the more you are likely to binge. Cortisol is a stress hormone, and if stress hormones remain high, it can lead  to depression. Were you aware of these facts? For these and other reasons, I strongly encourage you eat in a way that moderates your blood sugar. This one change can literally improve the health of your entire body.

To listen to the telegathering, logon to the Team Northrup site on DrNorthrup.com.

p.s. It was a dream presenting this topic with Dr. Deb and Dr. Karen. I’m grateful for their wit, insights, and delightful approach to teaching.