 |
 |
||||||
|
||||||
|
|
Ask the Expert
April 2, 2003
Question:
Why do carbohydrates cause weight gain?
Answer:
High-carbohydrate foods like bread, grains, cereal, potatoes, fruit and sugar are converted to glucose (sugar) in the body. When your body can’t burn off this sugar, it accumulates in the blood causing your blood sugar level to rise. In response to this, insulin is released to break down the sugar and store it.
A small portion of the sugar will be stored as glycogen in your liver and muscle, but once your limited glycogen stores are filled up the sugar is stored as saturated fat.
Fat is your body’s ideal fuel source, it will sustain you and give you energy. But, when you eat sugar (or carbohydrates, which are converted to sugar), which is toxic to the body, your body will attempt to get rid of it by using it as fuel, instead of fat.
So, your body will burn all the sugar it can, and store the rest as glycogen and then as fat. You will stop burning virtually any fat and instead your body will burn sugar. If there is no excess of sugar, your body will start to burn the sugar that is stored in your muscle.
The end result is a vicious cycle: any time you have excess sugar you store it as fat, and any time you are deficient in sugar you burn up your muscle.
