It is certainly well understood that the high sugar of diabetes causes many illnesses. However, now we also recognize that even without diabetes, excess insulin is a prime cause of many diseases of aging and even of aging itself. Along with widespread deficiencies of vital nutrients and a multitude of unnatural toxins, excess insulin is fundamental in promoting our current epidemic of chronic diseases. This is because excess insulin causes damage, including raising triglycerides and cholesterol, increasing blood pressure and inflammation, and promoting atherosclerosis and heart disease. We are needlessly suffering from the chronic degenerative diseases caused by the excessive insulin generated by our high-carbohydrate eating habits.
Fats are another vastly misunderstood and quite important nutrient.
Fats are the foundation of every cell membrane in our bodies. Avoiding fats or eating the wrong fats are common and dangerous errors. Because our bodies cannot produce certain fats, they must be present in our diet, so these are known as essential fatty acids. The current American diet is deficient in one type of essential fat, the omega-3 fatty acids. A deficiency of omega-3 fats causes rigidity, deformity, and dysfunction of cell membranes, contributing to premature aging and disease .