Is it Emotional Eating or Insulin Resistance?

Recently, I have had some conversations with people who claim they are emotional eaters.  That is, they feel the need to eat when they are stressed, feel depressed, are angry, have anxiety, have low self-esteem, are bored or trying to compensate for a lack of something in their lives.  Although, there very well may be people out there who do overeat and are overweight because of emotional reasons, I have come to the realization that there are a great number of people who think they are emotional eaters; yet, they just may be overeating because of a physiological problem called Insulin Resistance. 

It is interesting to note that The American Psychiatric Association has never made a statement that overeating or being overweight is a psychiatric disorder.  I also find it interesting that the DSM IV, which is the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the most the most widely used psychiatric reference in the world, does not have a mental disorder diagnostic code for overeating.

Now, let's discuss Insulin Resistance, a big factor in Metabolic Syndrome.  As I said in a past blog entry, Insulin is the fat growth hormone which is produced by the pancreas and that allows glucose into cells where it can be utilized as fuel. Because of heredity and lifestyle, (consumption of too much carbohydrates and lack of exercise) cells can become resistant to insulin. This causes the pancreas to pump out more insulin than is normal to get glucose inside the cell. When this happens it is known as "insulin resistance" (IR)   Studies have shown that people with Insulin Resistance can experience brain dysfunction due to this hormonal imbalance.  This can give a direct link to depression and IR. 

When we are depressed, that is. physiologically depressed, we have lower levels of serotonin.  Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that makes us feel good, calms us and gives us a sense of overall well-being.  When we lack serotonin, that can make us feel depressed.  Now, eating too many carbohydrates cause an increase in serotonin levels, so our brain sends out more messages to eat carbs (carb cravings).  Because of these carb cravings, we cave into them physiologically, eat the carbs and our body pumps out the fat growth hormone insulin and we become overweight.  This is the vicious cycle of Metabolic Syndrome.

See what I am getting at here?  If you have Insulin Resistance (Metabolic Syndrome) maybe, just maybe, you are not really the "emotional eater" you thought you were!  Could it be your body responding to something very physical?  And not all those aforementioned emotional issues? 

As a person with Metabolic Syndorme, I have experienced this.  Since being on a healthy, lower carb, lower glycemic, lower fat diet/lifestyle, I have seriously lost those carb cravings and feel, physically, better than ever.

If you suspect you may have metabolic issues, talk to your health care professional about blood testing for Metabolic Syndrome.  Look for the kind of diet plan I follow,  commit to a realistic exercise program, get nutritional guidance and a make sure you have a support system that will help you change any unhealthy lifestyle choices.