Eighty to ninety percent of north Americans have some sort of food allergy or intolerance. Eating these foods can result in many symptoms, one of which being weight gain. Many of the foods that people react to are not the junk food you might be thinking of but actually healthy foods that we may be eating because we are on a diet !

# Cancer has many different forms and types and many of them could be prevented with more attention to eating healthy and avoiding obesity..
# Congestive Heart Failure is a condition in which the heart can’t pump enough blood to the body’s other organs.
# Enlarged Heart is another heart condition where the muscle of the heart become larger due to being overworked which naturally happens if you are overweight.
# Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome is when cysts develop in your ovaries. These can burst causing even further problems.
# Gastro esophageal Reflux Disease means that stomach acid and juices flow from the stomach back up into the esophagus. It is common in overweight people.
# Fatty Liver Disease is a reversible condition where large pockets of fat accumulate in liver cells. Fatty liver can be considered a single disease that occurs worldwide in those with excessive alcohol intake and those who are obese.
# Hernia is caused when the hole in the diaphragm weakens and enlarges.
# Erectile Dysfunction is the inability to develop or maintain an erection which can be caused by a medical problem due to obesity or a psychological effect.
# Urinary Incontinence is the inability to control ones urine and is frequently associated with obesity, weak bladder and pelvic floor muscles
# Chronic Renal Failure meaning the kidneys fail to work is a much greater risk to those that are overweight or obese.
# Stroke is a lack of blood supply as the body has to work harder when you are obese.

Patients identified as having an IGT should exercise regularly and limit sugar intake.

# Diabetes which is a disorder where the pancreas is not producing enough or sometimes not any insulin. Diabetes can lead to a whole host of other medical issues and obesity is one of the main causes due to the body having excess glucose due to overeating.

Thanks for the comments Mandrake!

My first post was really to introduce a correlation. I didn't go into details mainly cause I didn't have enough room, but also because it gets confusing all at once.

eating no carbohydrate at all or eating too little doesn't seem like such a good idea. I think it's all about moderation-eating the right kinds of carbohydrates in the right amount.

Exactly why does it seem like a bad idea? Also, moderation is such a general term, especially when it's followed by, "Eating the right kinds in the right amount." What are the right kinds? What are the right amounts? If you're adhering to recommendations by the USDA and ADA, I would suggest that you are neither eating the right amounts nor the right kinds.

It's an essential source of energy

I beg to differ. Have you ever heard of an Essential Carbohydrate? I haven't. I've heard of essential fatty acids though. That's fat.

Imagine this. I put 100 people on a secluded island. 50 people eat only carbohydrates and 50 people eat only fat and protein. In a year, the carbohydrate group will be dead. Our bodies were designed to burn fat during day to day activities and only burn sugar during extreme physical activity. You can actually get all the carbohydrates you need from protein and fat. You would probably die in a day if you had to rely on sugar as your only fuel source.

Tell me, if the body is designed to burn sugar as it's main fuel source, how come it doesn't and store sugar for later use? It actually converts glucose to fat for storage. Hmmmm

Too much protein can be harsh on your kidneys

This is not true. The only people that should be worried about increased protein consumption are those who have kidney disease already.

....... there is absolutely no data in healthy adults suggesting that a high protein intake causes the onset of renal (kidney) dysfunction. There aren’t even any correlational studies showing this effect in healthy people.

too much fat--well, we all know.

1. Low fat diets are ridiculous!
   
2. Dietary fat does not translate into body fat, contrary to what most people think
   
3. Eating a low saturated fat diet while eating a moderate to high carb diet is an oxymoron. Carbs are stored as saturated fat.
   
4. Most saturated fats are good for you.
   
5. Omega 3's are anti-inflammatory and help prevent cancer
   
6. Omega 6's are pro-inflammatory and promote cancer.
   
7. Margarine is horrible for you, cook with butter or coconut oil.
   
8. Fat usually only causes damage when it is oxidized or rancid. This happens when they break down from high heat.
   
9. Trans fats, hydrogenated fats are bad. You knew that though!
   

if you lose weight your blood sugar levels will be more easily controlled.

Insulin is an anabolic hormone.

I'll agree with you there! The very first time I went on the Atkins diet, here was my breakfast: 4-6 eggs, and 1/4 to 1/2 pound of bacon. I wasn't losing as much weight as I thought I should. Now, the "traditional nutritionist" would say to cut out some of the food. What did Atkins' book say? Add more fat! (i.e., "calories"). So I did.

I then started eating 1/4 stick of REAL butter in addition to the eggs and bacon. That's right, I dipped my bacon in butter. Cardiologists nightmare, right? The only "problem" was: I WAS LOSING A POUND A DAY! I lost 30 pounds in a month, something "real" nutritionists will tell you is impossible without severely restricting your diet. I didn't go hungry once, and didn't exercise!.................. you'll swear I'm doing crack AND speed!

You see, in two recent studies, (David Ludwig) found that the main factor that determines changes in body weight and waist circumference (also known as belly fat) is how your body responds to any type of sugar, carbohydrate, or glucose load.

Over the last 15 years, I have tested almost every one of my patients using a test that most doctors never use. In fact, it is even harder to find in the research, except in this pioneering work by Dr. Ludwig.

This test is cheap, easy to do, and it is probably the most important test for determining your overall health, the causes for obesity, and your risk of diabetes, heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s, and premature aging.

It tests your insulin level.

In one study, for example, Dr. Ludwig and his colleagues followed 276 people for six years. They found that those who were the highest insulin secretors had the biggest change in weight and belly fat compared to the low insulin secretors. And people who were high insulin secretors and ate low-fat diets did even worse.

Dr. Ludwig also found that the patients who ate a low glycemic load diet -- which lowers blood sugar and keeps insulin levels low -- had much higher levels of HDL “good” cholesterol and much lower levels of triglycerides.

It appears that the best way to address your cholesterol is not necessarily to eat a low-fat diet, but to eat a low glycemic load diet, which keeps your blood sugar even.

# Dermatitis herpetiformis; this itchy cutaneous condition has been linked to a transglutaminase enzyme in the skin, features small bowel changes identical to those in coeliac disease[10] and occurs more often (in 2%) in patients with coeliac disease.[3]