Symptoms of Carbohydrate Intolerance

by Dr. Craig A. Maxwell

When you eat carbohydrates, your body should break them down into basic sugar molecules so they can be transformed into energy. If you have carbohydrate intolerance, the enzymes needed to metabolize carbohydrates (salivary amylase, pancreatic amylase, maltose, and alpha-galactosidase) are not as abundant as they should be.

 

Symptoms of Carbohydrate Intolerance

 

• Belly bloating after a meal (especially of sweet, starchy foods)
• Upper GI pain
• Excessive flatulence
• Constant hunger
• Inability to concentrate
• Chronic fatigue
• Weak legs and knees after eating
• Frequent yeast infections

 

Reheated Carbohydrates May Worsen Your Symptoms

If it seems your symptoms worsen after you eat a re-heated starchy meal, it isn’t in your head. Re-heating a starchy food changes its molecular structure, causing it to turn into a “resistant starch “. This type of starch cannot be digested by the small intestine but rather passes into the large intestine, where it is broken down. This often produces offensive gas, abdominal cramping, and bloating.

 

Carbohydrate Malabsorption and Insulin Resistance

 

Carbohydrate intolerance can result in a condition called hyperinsulinemia, which causes your body to become ineffective at managing the sugars and starches in your diet. When you eat a carbohydrate, say a piece of bread or a slice of cake, your pancreas should release just the right amount of insulin to assimilate and process that sugar.

 

Hyperinsulinemia causes your pancreas to release too much insulin for the amount of carbohydrate consumed. Continued release of excess insulin results in sugar being processed too quickly and blood glucose levels to dip to noticeable lows. This condition is called hypoglycemia and often accounts for that jittery, anxious, (and even angry) feeling you get when you don’t eat regularly.

 

Over time, more and more insulin is needed to process even small amounts of carbohydrates. Eventually, the insulin becomes ineffective at delivering the sugar into your cells where the nourishment is needed. 

 

This is when insulin resistance develops.

 

The Health Risks of Untreated Carbohydrate Intolerance

 

In addition to the development of insulin resistance, hyperinsulinemia can also cause your adrenal glands to over-produce a stress hormone called cortisol. This can result in a condition called adrenal burnout or adrenal fatigue.

 

Once all these metabolic and hormonal systems are off balance, it can leave you vulnerable to the following chronic health conditions:

 

• Hypertension

 

According to a study published by The American Heart Association, “There is increasing evidence that insulin resistance/hyperinsulinemia may play a key role in the pathogenesis of hypertension in both subtle and overt abnormalities of carbohydrate metabolism.”

 

• High Blood Cholesterol

 

Your triglycerides (blood fats) often become elevated due to excessive carbohydrate consumption along with inability to properly metabolize it.

 

• Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome

 

Your liver uses a specific type of enzyme system to convert cholesterol into a master steroidal hormone called pregnenolone, which is responsible for the production of hormones such as progesterone, DHEA, and testosterone. An imbalance in these hormones may result in polycystic ovarian syndrome.

 

• Chronic Pain and Inflammation

 

Lack of sufficient nutrients and overtaxed adrenals may result in chronic muscle and joint inflammation.

 

• Type II Diabetes

 

Adult-onset diabetes has been directly linked to carbohydrate intolerance.

 

• Stroke

 

According to Stroke Magazine, published by the American Heart Association, hyperglycemia, both recognized and unrecognized is considered a significant risk factor for stroke.

 

• Obesity

If you are obese and have difficulty losing weight, carbohydrate malabsorption may be to blame.

 

• Heart Disease

 

Despite what you may have been lead to believe, high insulin levels, not high cholesterol levels, are the most common indicators of impending heart disease.

 

Treat Carbohydrate Malabsorption Naturally

 

Reduce Dietary Starches

 

Reducing your intake of dietary starches can help you determine if carbohydrate intolerance is causing your symptoms. Slowly wean off highly-processed foods, especially wheat pasta, refined-flour bread, pre-packaged cookies, cakes, pies, and the like. Trade them in for grass-fed beef, organic poultry, wild-caught fish, eggs, nuts, seeds, vegetables, and healthy fats like coconut oil and extra virgin olive oil.

 

Take the Right Supplements

 

• Digestive Enzymes

 

A digestive enzyme supplement containing pancreatin and betaine can help you better digestive carbohydrates. Pancreatin helps supplement the salivary amylase necessary to digest these foods. Betaine increases your stomach acid naturally, which improves your overall digestion. An enzyme containing alpha-galactosidase will also help you digest both simple and complex carbohydrates.

 

• Probiotics

 

Studies have shown that probiotics containing lactobacillus acidophilus can help reduce the digestive discomfort associated with carbohydrate malabsorption. It’s important not to overdose on probiotics, especially if you have trouble digesting carbs.

 

Excessive doses of probiotics for those with carbohydrate intolerance can cause a rare, neurological form of lactic acidosis called D-lactic acidosis. Symptoms include altered mental status, loss of balance, and slurred speech with an appearance of alcohol intoxication.

 

If you suspect you have carbohydrate intolerance, getting it under control is very important. Eat less carbohydrates, more protein, and use digestive enzymes and probiotics daily. Start keeping a food journal so you can better pinpoint your reactions to the foods you eat.

 

You can also go to Direct Labs and pick up the Alcat Comprehensive Wellness 1-Kit. This kit will reveal exactly which foods and chemicals you might be sensitive to, and how severely. Just take it to the nearest LabCorp office for a quick blood drawing and they pack it and send it off for you.

 

You should receive your results in 7-10 business days!

 

 

Resources:

 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17971098

 

http://www.drjaywortman.com/blog/wordpress/2012/04/27/carbohydrate-intolerance-institutional-intransigence/

 

http://hyper.ahajournals.org/content/19/5/403.full.pdf

 

http://stroke.ahajournals.org/content/13/3/356.full.pdf

 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15481741

 

http://clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT01593800

 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16306301