Robert> As for year-round carbs, I thought that the cause for the
Syndrome X diseases was the grains and the processed foods?  In the
reading I've done, I did *not* get the impression that it was carbs
generally.  Do you have some sources I could reference about that?

Grains and certain processed foods are certainly prime candidates to
cause hyperinsulinemia and the consequent diseases of civilization. 
But *any* carbohydrate rich food eaten frequently, year round will
cause Syndrome X.  Orange juice for example.

The two best general sources are Drs. Eades' *Protein Power Lifeplan*
(goofiest book title ever, IMHO, but a great read) and Dr. Ron
Rosedales *Rosedale Diet.*  Until then, here's a Cordain publication
that's good reading:
http://www.thepaleodiet.com/articles/Hyperinsulinemic%20Diseases%20Final.pdf

ABSTRACT

Compensatory hyperinsulinemia stemming from peripheral insulin
resistance is a well recognized metabolic disturbance that is at the
root cause of diseases and maladies of Syndrome X (hypertension, type 2
diabetes, dyslipidemia, coronary artery disease, obesity, abnormal
glucose tolerance).  Abnormalities of fibrinolysis and hyperuricaemia
also appear to be members of the cluster of illnesses comprising
Syndrome X.  Insulin is a well established growth promoting hormone,
and recent evidence indicates that hyperinsulinemia causes a shift in a
number of endocrine pathways that may favor unregulated tissue growth
leading to additional illnesses.  Specifically, hyperinsulinemia
elevates serum concentrations of  free insulin like growth factor 1
(IGF-1) and androgens while simultaneously reducing insulin like growth
factor binding protein 3 (IGFBP-3) and sex hormone binding globulin
(SHBG).  Since IGFBP-3 is a ligand for the nuclear retinoid X receptor
α, insulin mediated reductions in IGFBP-3 may also influence
transcription of anti-proliferative genes normally activated by the
body’s endogenous retinoids.  These endocrine shifts alter cellular
proliferation and growth in a variety of tissues whose clinical course
may promote acne, early menarche, certain epithelial cell carcinomas,
increased stature, myopia, cutaneous papillomas (skin tags), acanthosis
nigricans, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and male vertex balding. 
Consequently, these illnesses and conditions may, in part, have
hyperinsulinemia at their root cause and therefore should be classified
among the diseases of Syndrome X.