Overeating has traditionally been linked to obesity, but researchers say the real culprit is a diet high in processed sugars and carbohydrates, according to a commentary published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. The researchers write that consumption of food containing added sugars and highly processed carbohydrates forces the body to produce more insulin, a substance used to digest sugar.

This, in turn, signals fat cells to store more calories, causing you to gain weight.

Even worse, this leaves fewer available calories to provide energy to muscles. As a result, the brain thinks that the body is not getting enough energy and generates feelings of hunger, the researchers said.

In contrast to what they call the “energy balance model,” the “carbohydrate-insulin model” holds that excessive consumption of foods high in sugar, or glycemic content, such as highly processed, rapidly digestible carbohydrates, causes weight gain.

Rather than urge people to eat less, a strategy that usually does not work in the long run, the carbohydrate-insulin model suggests another path that focuses more on what we eat, and especially avoiding processed foods, added sugars, and highly processed carbohydrates.

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