Don't think the mainstream medical profession hasn't noticed the correlation between insulin resistance and disease. In the past fifteen years-and this is a trend that only keeps buildingmedical journals have published studies of the powerful association between obesity-usually accompanied by hyperinsulinism-and the probability of heart disease or stroke. All around the world the studies pour in. For example, using data from several epidemiological studies, Dr. B. Balkau found links between high glucose levels and mortality in thousands of men whose medical histories had been followed for two decades. Uniformly, high blood-glucose levels and insulin resistance signified markedly higher risk of death from cardiovascular causes. American research points in the same direction. The Bogalusa Heart Study followed four thousand children and young adults." Even in childhood, a high insulin level corresponded to higher triglyceride levels and higher VLDL cholesterol-a particularly damaging form of "bad" LDL cholesterol. Not surprisingly, these associations were even more marked in the overweight. We'll go over this ground in greater detail in future articles when I discuss heart health. For now, just remember a bad diet produces results that are not merely cosmetically unattractive; it flies the black flag of some of the very worst health catastrophes. Ah, but you came to this book for weight loss. All right, let's make crystal clear the connection between high insulin levels and excess weight.
