So I skimmed this book by Gary Taubes. It is very hard to read not only because it's a lot of data, but because the data is hard to understand until you get to the page in the epilogue that outlines what he's theorized from centuries of research and data. Taubes later wrote a book titled Why We Get Fat, that is much easier to read. Here are the basic principles.
1. Dietary fat, whether saturated or not, is not a cause of obesity, heart disease, or any other chronic disease of civilization.
2. The problem is the carbohydrates in the diet, their effect on insulin secretion, and thus the hormonal regulation of homeostasis-the entire harmonic ensemble of the human body. The more easily digestible an refined the carbohydrates, the greater the effect on our health, weight, and well-being.
3. Sugars-sucrose and high-fructose corn syrup specifically- are particularly harmful, probably because the combination of fructose and glucose simultaneously elevates insulin levels while overloading he liver with carbohydrates.
4. Through their direct effect on insulin and blood sugar, refined carbohydrates, starches, and sugars are the dietary cause of coronary heart disease and diabetes. They are the most likely dietary causes of cancer, Alzheimer's disease, and the other chronic diseases of civilization.
5. Obesity is a disorder of excess fat accumulation, not overeating, and not sedentary behavior.
6. Consuming excess calories does not cause us to grow fatter, any more than it causes a child to grow taller. Expending more energy than we consume does not lead to long-term weight loss; it leads to hunger.
7. Fattening and obesity are caused by an imbalance-a disequilibrium-in the hormonal regulation of adipose tissue and fat metabolism. Fat syntheses an storage exceed the mobilization of fat from the adipose tissue and its subsequent oxidation. We become leaner when the hormonal regulation of the fat tissue reverses this balance.
8. Insulin is the primary regulator of fat storage. When insulin levels are elevated-either chronically or after a meal-we accumulate fat in our fat tissue. when insulin levels fall, we release fat from our fat tissue and use it for fuel.
9. By stimulating insulin secretion, carbohydrates make us fat and ultimately cause obesity. The fewer carbohydrates we consume, the leaner we will be.
10. By driving fat accumulation, carbohydrates also increase hunger and decrease the amount of energy we expend in metabolism and physical activity.
I can attest to my own experience of losing 30 lbs in 3 months by eating a low-carbohydrate diet. At the time I attributed my weight loss primarily to going Gluten-Free. And I also learned from this book that the responses my body has to gluten are probably an insulin response and not an allergic reaction. The IBS though is most likely due to gluten or dairy. For the persons who feel a low-carb diet is unhealthy, read about the South Beach Diet. It was created for heart disease patients and is low in fat and promotes eating non-starchy vegetables, and high fiber legumes. Plus it's not intended to exclude food other than refined carbohydrates, or foods that produce a high insulin response.
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