In fact, studies are showing such a strong link between poor diet… especially over-consumption of refined carbs that cause insulin insensitivity… and Alzheimer’s disease, that some doctors and researchers have given Alzheimer’s the nickname: Type 3 Diabetes.

Let’s look at the way carbohydrates impact the health of your brain:

How Insulin Impacts Your Brain

Insulin is a hormone that gets released when you have sugar.  It’s responsible for the uptake of sugar into your body.  Notably sugar is stored as glycogen in your muscles and liver… and any excess sugar that’s not stored in you muscles or liver gets converted and stored as fat.  That’s why insulin is also commonly known as the fat storing hormone.

This is why eating too many carbs causes you to gain weight.  You simply can’t store all of the sugar as glycogen, so the rest becomes fat.  Your insulin can handle a decent amount of sugar, especially if it comes from real whole foods like fruits and vegetables.  In fact, you can eat vegetables all-day long and your insulin won’t have any issues handling it.

However your insulin is NOT designed to handle the excessive amount of sugar contained in refined carbs and other processed foods.  Consuming too much sugar, too often WILL cause your insulin to stop functioning properly and that’s when you get into real trouble.  This is known as insulin insensitivity.  It’s the first step towards becoming diabetic.  If you keep eating the same way and consume excessive amounts of sugar, your insulin will eventually stop working completely and you’ll become insulin resistance and diabetic. This is the how you becomes Type 2 Diabetic.

So what that heck does that have to do with your brain?

Well recently, studies have found that insulin impacts the way your brain signals work.  And the less functional your insulin becomes the less optimal your brain signals work.  Giving rise to a strong causal link between insulin resistance and dementia

Why Diabetes is Linked with Alzheimer’s

Studies show that a person with diabetes is 65% more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease.

Researchers have found that the insulin resistance causes an acceleration of plaque build-up in the brain, and plaque build-up is directly associated with Alzheimer’s.

Additionally, studies suggest that lowered insulin function is also associated with brain cell degeneration. Researchers believe that the when you body becomes insulin resistant the cells get deprived of glucose needed to survive.

Avoiding Diabetes and Alzheimer’s

Since there’s enough evidence linking insulin resistance and diabetes to Alzheimer’s, dietary changes that help diabetics can also help prevent the onset of Alzheimer’s and other brain degenerative diseases.  It’s clear that insulin is key to the health of your brain, so in order to optimize your insulin function, you need to keep your sugar intake low.

Low carb diet is best achieved through eliminating (or limiting) refined carbs like bread, pasta and rice as well as other processed foods like cereal, crackers and cookies.  Instead eat carbohydrates from whole foods like vegetables and fruits.  You really can’t go wrong with eating vegetables… in fact you can eat as much vegetables as you want.  Fruits are higher in sugar (fructose) but it’s completely fine to consume it in moderation since it has high dietary fiber which helps lower insulin reaction.

This is why my Lean Body Diet recommends cutting down on refined carbs and increasing your consumption of vegetables and fruits along with some safe starches.  It’s not only the healthiest form of diet that I’ve found, but it’s also the best way to burn fat and keep the weight off permanently… and now we know that it’s also a great way to eat to preserve your brain health as well!