The Karatay Diet and insulin resistance

ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News

The foods fundamentally prohibited by the Karatay Diet are high-carbohydrate foods like bakery items and pastry, junk food and candies, sodas and alcoholic beverages, fruit juices and other sweet soft drinks, bread, all types of processed food and delicatessen items, and it allows only a limited amount of fruit. The reason for this is to break the cycle of leptin and insulin resistance, which Dr. Canan Karatay sees as the chief cause of weight gain.

In her book, Karatay explains the functions of these two fundamental hormones. Insulin is a hormone involved in the storage of blood sugar as triglycerides (fat), for future use as a fuel for the body. The hormone leptin, on the other hand, converts the stored triglycerides into blood sugar for immediate use as a fuel, and prevents the release of insulin. Karatay says the burning of stored fat causes weight loss, therefore weigh loss depends chiefly on enabling leptin to do its job properly.

Those who eat a lot and suffer from weight issues because of their eating habits are keeping insulin and leptin in constant circulation in the bloodstream. “When these are in constant circulation the leptin and insulin receptors become worn out to the extent that they can no longer respond to stimulation by the hormones. This is called insulin resistance, which is the chief cause of a great majority of degenerative diseases,” Karatay says. She says insulin resistance prevents leptin from properly affecting pancreatic tissue, and as a result it can no longer prevent the release of insulin, which creates an unending cycle of fat storage.

According to Karatay, the only way to break the insulin resistance cycle is through increased exercise and the consumption of food with a low glycemic index (GI), namely healthy carbohydrates. Low GI food helps to satisfy hunger long-term. Consuming these types of foods prevents hunger and eliminates the need to overeat. Therefore, they help prevent insulin release and consequently insulin resistance. The main low-GI foods are proteins, followed by raw vegetables. The GI value of vegetables decreases after cooking, so the Karatay Diet advises consuming them raw.