Elevated Levels of Insulin Can Cause Heart Disease

The #1 predictor of heart disease is not high cholesterol, not high blood pressure, but elevated levels of insulin. How can you tell? Look in the mirror. If you are heavier and shaped like an apple, you have high levels of insulin, and you are probably fast-tracking to an early heart attack. But you can still be thin and have elevated insulin. How can you tell? You have high triglycerides and low HDL cholesterol. This is why high-carbohydrate, low-fat diets can be extremely dangerous to cardiovascular patients even if they lose weight, because they often also see an increase in triglycerides and a decrease in HDL cholesterol levels.