The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly....

Carbohydrates - Dietary Villain or Superhero
(previously published in Status Fitness magazine, issue 2, 2007)

Speaking of Spaghetti…
In the 1966 Spaghetti Western, The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, a young Clint Eastwood played the role of “Blondie”, one of three shady unscrupulous individuals racing through the desert to uncover a treasure of buried gold. For those of you who may have seen this award winning cinematic classic, you may remember asking yourself which one of the three pistol-wielding, treasure-lusting characters was “the Good” and which one was “the Bad” as the title implied. I know I did. I also thought to myself that any one of the three dust-covered, unshaven banditos could probably also have been labeled “the Ugly.” (Fans of Clint Eastwood might argue that last point, but I’m sticking to my guns here.)

In nutrition, the misunderstood role of carbohydrates can leave fitness-minded folk asking a similar question – aren’t carbohydrates bad for me? It can be as confusing as trying to figure out which label belongs to which character in the movie!

Low-carb, no-carb, net carbs, impact carbs, carb-cycles, carb-free – we have become a carbohydrate-confused and hyper-carb sensitive society! What is it about this basic macronutrient that strikes fear into the collective heart of our consumptuous culture? Is it really carbohydrate that packs the excess pounds onto our thighs and butts to the point of morbidity? With obesity fast becoming the #1 health concern of our modern times, and a good many newcomers to the Status Fitness lifestyle, the answers have never been more pertinent. The answer lies within the function and properties of this 6-carbon, 12-hydrogen, 6-oxygen molecule.

The Good:
Carbohydrates are the “go juice” of the active tissues of the body. Carbohydrate molecules are made of the 3 elements, carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. All carbohydrates are chains of the basic unit C6-H12-O6, commonly called sugars. Single and two-sugar carbohydrates (mono- and disaccharides) are commonly called simple sugars. Longer, more complex chains of sugars form starches (polysaccharides) and fibers.

Carbohydrates are the primary source of glucose for the cells of the body. Glucose is critical because it is the main source of energy for the brain. It is also a primary source of ATP, the energy currency of the muscles. Increased carbohydrate intake has been shown to have a positive impact on physical performance and work output.

Carbs are critical!:
• The body’s primary fuel source for all activities
• Vital to all cellular functions
• Primary source of glucose for the body
• Glucose is the main fuel for brain function
• So important for body functions, the body will make glucose by breaking down body proteins and fat stores!

The Bad:
In the movie mentioned earlier, Clint Eastwood’s character, Blondie, was revealed to be “the Good”, at the conclusion of the story through a single redeeming act that demonstrated his “goodness”. Similarly, if we look closely at the carbohydrate story, we find that carbs have many redeeming characteristics. So why the bum rap? Propagation of the misunderstanding of the basic tenets of low carb diet plans such as those of Dr. Atkins and his cronies in the last decade has demonized this macronutrient.

“Carbohydrates make you fat.” Yes, there is some truth to this statement but it’s not as simplistic as this basic misunderstanding. More accurately, consuming the wrong type of carbohydrates, at the wrong time of the day, and eating more calories (carbohydrate or otherwise) than your body needs for energy stimulate fat storage. Excessive intake of carbohydrates, especially faster absorbing carbohydrates – “simple sugars” - stimulates a rapid rise in insulin..
Insulin can be thought of as the ‘doorman’ of the cells (including the fat cells). Insulin’s role in the body is to facilitate the partitioning of blood sugar to the appropriate ‘compartment’ in the body – into the muscles to be stored as glycogen for quick muscular energy; or stored in the adipocytes (fat cells) as surplus, back up energy. Simply, when we consume more energy than we need, and that food energy (in the digested form, glucose) moves from the digestive tract into the bloodstream, insulin is called out to get to work packing away the extra, unnecessary energy. Since some carbohydrates pass more quickly (typically, simple sugars) from the food we eat through the digestive system and into the blood stream, certain carbohydrates will contribute to fat storage much more easily than the proteins or fats.

The basic premise of most low-carb or carb-conscious diet plans is – or should be – this:
Control your insulin levels by consuming the proper types of carbohydrates in small amounts throughout the day. OK, that makes sense, but how do we know what types of carbohydrate foods to choose to keep our insulin levels in check? We’ll show you.

The Ugly:
Obesity has become an epidemic in America. Prolific author on the topic of Obesity, Anne Collins, points out that, in America, it’s pretty ugly:

• 58 Million Overweight; 40 Million Obese; 3 Million morbidly Obese
• Eight out of 10 over 25's Overweight
• 78% of American's not meeting basic activity level recommendations
• 25% completely Sedentary
• 76% increase in Type II diabetes in adults 30-40 yrs old since 1990

This is a heavy burden for our society to bear (no pun intended). Our increasing state of unhealth due to obesity is worrisome. Ms. Collins blames several factors for this current, “ugly” state of affairs, including “over-consumption…the root cause” of obesity today. She also blames the consumption of “too many refined carbs” as another cause of obesity.
Finding this “Ugly” existing in our modern society was easy. The challenge will be discovering what to do about this epidemic that touches nearly all of our lives in some way. Is this trick as elusive as the buried treasure of gold coins in the movie?

Stay tuned for the sequel!