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With reference to Taubes. Good Calories….is a great (great as in “big” as well as “very good”) book, (released under a different title in the UK for some reason). Taubes goes over the key points of his argument in a very good and entertaining lecture that is available on Google Video or via my site:
http://conditioningresearch.blogspot.com/2008/02/another-taubes-lecture.html
February 20, 2008 @ 11:40 am
Thanks Chris
I think the choice of book title in the UK: ‘The Diet Delusion: challenging…’ is an attempt by the publisher to mimic/ride on the back of Richard Dawkins’ ‘The God Delusion’, but I may have this wrong.
February 20, 2008 @ 11:56 am
Taubes’ book is excellent, and by far the most comprehensive book currently out there on this subject. I highly recommend it, though many, if not most non-medical people will find it quite dense and perhaps a bit off-putting in the sheer amount of biochemical detail. But I think the effort to get through it and understand it is well worth it.
Additionally, Taubes give an excellent and thorough history of nutrition science and how we got to where we are today, with a half century of misbegotten science condemming saturated fat and cholesterol and elevating carboydrates. The low fat camp seems to have a rather short historical perspective.
February 20, 2008 @ 5:03 pm
Dr John
I spotted this study that was just published indicating several benefits to a low carb diet and particular benefits if that diet includes eggs:
http://tinyurl.com/35njbu
February 20, 2008 @ 6:58 pm
” I think the choice of book title in the UK:
February 20, 2008 @ 9:46 pm
I think you will find better ground for your speculations by reading at least the relevant sections of Taubes book. He discusses the research on insulin and fat accumulation in exhaustive detail. In fact, I think anyone who comments publicly on insulin and fat should address Taubes’ view of the evidence.
Taubes has provided us with the only theoretical framework that makes sense of 150 years of data. Taubes has written the unified field theory of obesity and the diseases of civilization. Please do yourself a favor and read GCBC as soon as possible.
February 20, 2008 @ 10:36 pm
Chris,
I read that article on low carbohydrate diets and eggs with interest as I like eggs and am on a low carbohydrate diet….but then I read on page 18 “The authors wish to thank the Egg Nutrition Center for funding this study”. I would hope the study wasn’t biased but I would guess it must be unless I’m overly cynical.
Anne
Chris Highcock wrote:
I spotted this study that was just published indicating several benefits to a low carb diet and particular benefits if that diet includes eggs:
http://tinyurl.com/35njbu
February 21, 2008 @ 10:27 am
Just a brief personal story to endorse the low-carb way of life (after all, not all evidence is empirical): About 5 years ago, I was diagnosed as being significantly hypothyroid. I had gained a lot of weight, in spite of regular aerobic exercise and what I thought was a healthy diet. I really struggled to lose the weight, even when my thyroid levels were restored to normal limits. Between wathcing my diet and exercising hard, I was eating a net 900 to 1,000 calories a day and it was all I could do not to gain weight. My endocrinologist sent me for a 3-hour glucose tolerance test, at the end of which my blood sugar registered 52! The doctor thought I might have hyperinsulinemia since I had always had to work hard to keep my weight down. She suggested various tests but wanted me to try a low-carb diet before we did anything – sensible woman.
I followed her advice and lost 10 pounds a month for 3 months! It was so easy, and in addition to getting down to 136 pounds while eating more than I have ever eaten, I also lost that horrible mid-afternoon ‘slump’ in energy.
I really keep an eye on my carbs and eat what the ‘politically-correct’ nutritionists would consider a diet too high in protein and moderatly high in fat (scrambled eggs for breakfast practically daily!) yet I have maintained the weight loss, and my triglycerides, LDL, and HDL etc, are perfect. I occasionally have my blood sugar tested and it is now very stable. Having reaped the benefits, I know I will never go back to my old way of eating, even though I thought it was healthy at the time and is still promoted as such by the mainstream dieticians.
February 22, 2008 @ 5:14 pm
Anne – thanks for spotting that! That adds to my general cynicism!
February 22, 2008 @ 7:16 pm
Sally,
as a hypothyroidic person and not being able to lose weight easily – tell me did you stop eating much fruit too? I have high levels of HDL and am told by my doctor this is good as the Amish have this too and live a very long life! Hoping this is the case.
February 23, 2008 @ 4:00 pm
SAlly. It is not nutritionists who are ‘ploitically correct ‘ in that they do not recommend the diet you are on. It is the dieticians. I am a nutritionist who would endorse what you are saying as would many other nutritionists. Hilda
February 23, 2008 @ 4:56 pm
Carol,
the ideal as i have read, is high HDL, low Triglycerides. This combination should also alter the profile of the various LDL particles favourably, LDL possibly being of lesser concern than HDL or TGs.
A low carbohydrate appears to be the way to achieve this. A lot of fruit would certainly raise your carbohydrate intake, depending on which fruit and in what quantity
February 24, 2008 @ 6:49 pm
Carol,
Yes, I did cut back on fruit and also on high glycemic vegetables, although I eat carrots and varieties of squash now and again. Generally speaking, I rely mostly on vegetables for my carbs since they are also a good source of fiber. For fruits, I really love apples but limit those to no more than 1 a day. I also enjoy berries (espcially with a splash of cream!) since they tend to be lower GI fruits (again, not something I would eat daily but really to add some dietary variety – and as a dessert-type treat).
In my nursing school days, we were taught that the ‘H’ in HDL stood for ‘happy’ while the ‘L’ in LDL stood for ‘lousy’ – perhaps a bit silly, especially considering what Dr Briffa says about the lack of published data on what really constitutes healthy and unhealthy levels of each, but it helps to distinguish which is which. I have also heard that regular excerise even of a moderate kind helps to raise HDL.
Hilda: Apologies for the error, and thanks for pointing that out.
February 25, 2008 @ 1:04 pm
This is why it’s so good to tailor the diet to the individual. My work is in helping obese children learn better eating habits.
July 21, 2008 @ 11:36 pm
I HAVE HIGH INSULIN LEVELS WITH LOW GOOD TRIGLYCERIDES SAYS THE DOCTOR. I DO NOT KNOW WHERE TO START. FOR INSTANCE MY DIET, EXERCISE. I AM REALLY LOST. CAN YOU HELP?
October 13, 2009 @ 11:09 pm