The researchers in this article believe the weight loss that each participant had while eating grapefruit was probably linked to lowered levels of insulin, which was determined by measurements of glucose levels.

It is vital to understand what insulin actually is. Insulin is something all humans have as without it we would go into hyperglycemic coma and die, but nearly all of us have insulin levels that are too high.

The pancreas releases insulin--produced by beta cells--after you eat carbohydrates. This causes a rise in blood sugar. Insulin ensures your cells receive some blood sugar necessary for life, and increases glycogen storage. However, it also drives your body to use more carbohydrate, and less fat, as fuel. And, insulin converts almost half of your dietary carbohydrate to fat for storage. In other words, when we eat too much carbohydrate, we're essentially sending a hormonal message, via insulin, to the body (actually, to the adipose cells). The message: "Store fat."

Not only do increased insulin levels tell the body to store carbohydrates as fat, they also tell it not to release any stored fat. This makes it impossible for you to use your own stored body fat for energy. So the excess carbohydrates in your diet not only make you fat, they make sure you stay fat.

High levels of insulin can cause major damage to your body. The most recognized of these is diabetes. In addition, hypertension, obesity, high levels of cholesterol and other lipids, heart disease, kidney disease, female infertility and neurodegeneration are all causes of eating too many carbohydrates, resulting in high insulin levels.

If you want to use more fats for energy, the insulin response must be moderated. Diets high in refined sugars release more insulin thereby allowing less stored fat to be burned.

Insulin is the key to the vast majority of chronic illness as I expressed above. Fortunately, it is the variable most easily influenced by healthy eating and exercise. The future health of our country undoubtedly depends upon healthier eating. That means you must, in order to stay healthy, eliminate grains and sugars from your diet.

Many people struggle with this grain/sugar restriction. We have been using Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) to successfully treat emotional stresses, including food cravings such as those related to sugar and grains, for some time.

Although often overlooked, emotional health is essential to your physical well-being. No matter how devoted you are to a healthy lifestyle, it is nearly impossible to reach your goals if emotional barriers stand in your way. EFT uses a combination of kinetic energy input and positive affirmations to release you of your emotional "blocks."

You can view our recently updated EFT manual free of charge. If you seek more in-depth knowledge of the EFT technique, my EFT series is available on DVD or VHS. The series will teach you how to relieve most emotional traumas, abolish phobias, overcome food cravings and eliminate or greatly reduce physical pain. You can also make an appointment with an expert to help you with the EFT process.

For more information on insulin's many effects on health, be sure to read Dr. Rosedale's classic and highly informative insulin lecture.

Related Articles:

Insulin and Its Metabolic Effects

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'Pre-Diabetes' Tests Urged for Overweight Americans

Obesity Causes Nearly 100,000 Cancer Deaths per Year

Exercise Reduces Diabetes by Reducing Insulin Resistance

Learn Why High Insulin is the Largest Physical Factor for Most Diseases