What Is Hyperinsulinism?

    Simply put, hyperinsulinism is the condition that results from too much insulin being produced
by your body.
    It's easy to see how this might happen when you realize that there's a relationship between the
kinds of foods you eat and the amount of insulin in your bloodstream. Foods rich in
carbohydrates-especially sugar, honey, milk and fruit, which contain simple sugars, and refined
carbohydrates such as flour, white rice and potato starch-are readily absorbed through the
stomach, so they speedily convert to glucose. When these foods are eaten in excess, they require
a lot of insulin for transport. Foods made of protein and fat, on the other hand, require little or no
insulin. (Protein in excess converts to glucose in the liver and requires some insulin to transport
it to the cells; fat requires essentially none.)
    And what happens when there is too much insulin? As an overweight person becomes heavier,
insulin's effectiveness may decline. The cells become desensitized to the action of insulin so it
can no longer effectively transport glucose to them. This is known in medical circles as insulin
resistance, which quickly leads to hyperinsulinism. Numerous studies have shown that insulin
resistance is more prevalent among the obese, although even some individuals who appear slim
and healthy may actually be insulin resistant.
    What appears to happen is that the insulin receptors on the surfaces of the body's cells are
blocked, which in turn prevents glucose from reaching the cells for energy use. That's one reason
overweight individuals may be tired much of the time. When insulin is ineffective in taking
glucose into the cells, the liver converts more and more glucose to stored fat. Your body is, in
fact, becoming a fat-producing machine instead of an efficient energy-producing machine.
    Your body's hormonal system is now in desperate straits. At this point, insulin is being
secreted more and more frequently to deal with high blood-sugar levels, and it is doing its job
less and less effectively. Which makes you crave sweets and carbs, which compounds the
problem in a vicious cycle. In time, even the insulin receptors that convert glucose to fat start
getting worn out, forecasting diabetes.

A Host of Other Health Issues

Here are some further reasons why high insulin levels can lead to big problems:

• Insulin increases salt and water retention, a recipe for high blood pressure.
• Insulin is directly involved in creating atherosclerotic plaques, which, if not controlled, can lead to heart disease.
• High insulin levels have been shown to correlate with high levels of triglycerides and low levels of "good" HDL cholesterol.
• High insulin levels correlate with increased risk of breast cancer and polycystic ovarian syndrome. (Conversely, the lower the levels of insulin, the better the survival rates for breast cancer.)
  

    Obesity increases insulin resistance. This means that you can sharply reduce your risk of
blood-sugar disorders-and by extension, heart disease and other ailments-by simply keeping your weight down and controlling carbohydrate intake. Even if you have a hereditary predisposition to
diabetes, you may be able to stall or completely avoid its onset.