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Barry Sears calls high insulin levels paired with a diet with excessive omega 6 the “perfect nutritional storm.”  There is no doubt in my mind that the American diet, which is known to be very proficient at inducing insulin resistance while supplying the largest quantity of dietary omega 6 Linoleic Acid in the world, is the perfect recipe for inflammation-related diseases.  Sears of course uses the Glycemic Index as his guide to keeping insulin levels low, which is a major fumble on his part.  Postprandial insulin levels in response to dietary carbohydrate is insignificant, as the levels fall back to baseline within a few hours of eating.  It’s the dietary causes of insulin resistance – most notably fructose in large quantities (a low-glycemic carbohdyrate) that appears to be most significant. 

In an insulin resistant state, insulin levels are elevated 24-hours a day, the delta-5 desaturase enzyme is activated 24 hours a day, and the omega 6 linoleic acid that you consume is constantly converted into the hyperinflammatory fatty acid Arachidonic Acid – which accumulates in the cells and leads to a vicious circle of events that begins with a hyperinflammatory response to everything we encounter.  Barry Sears is probably right on in calling this “the perfect nutritional storm,” even if he has come to erroneous conclusions about how hyperinsulinemia is induced.

Listen to more on this topic in this week’s podcast: