59 – The ills of insulin, part 2

4 thoughts on “59 – The ills of insulin, part 2”

1. 

   Wes

   30 May 2011

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   Thanks for the link, Michael. I just read Todd’s extensive post. I find it rather curious that the calorie campers contend that macronutrient type is irrelevant to fat gain, but then contend the relevance of various hormones (ASP, LPL, and HSL) that are affected by different macronutrients. Of course, the carbohydrate consumption/insulin hormone secretion factor has the most relevance. The hypothetical study you mention would indeed prove useful, especially if the subjects were those with low insulin sensitivity, i.e., if they were prone to gaining weight when on a higher carb regimen.

   In refutation of the calorie camp’s claim that fat gain/insulin resistance is just a caloric issue, the following isocaloric studies that Atkins (and others) have referenced ought to be considered:

   Young, C. M., et al. “Effect on body composition and other parameters in young men of carbohydrate level of reduction diet.” American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 24 (1971), pp. 290-296.

   Rabast, U., et al. “Comparative studies in obese subjects fed carbohydrate-restricted and high carbohydrate 1,000 calorie formula diets.” Nutrition and Metabolism. 22 (1978), pp. 269-277.

   Kasper, H. et al. “Response of body weight to a low carbohydrate, high fat diet in normal and obese subjects.” The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 26 (1973), pp. 197-204.

   Rabast, U., et al. “Loss of weight, sodium, and water in obese persons consuming a high or low carbohydrate diet.” Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism. 26(6) (1981), pp. 341-349.

   You’ll find that the above studies incorporate sound methods, monitoring water and electrolyte loss (and even fecal fat excretion)–things typically given as the reason for weight loss on a ketogenic diet. The high fat groups consistently lost significantly more weight than the high carb groups (p<.05 and p<.01). The two Rabast et al. studies are particularly convincing due to having 45 and 21 matched subjects strictly monitored for a full month.

2. 

   Michael

   6 May 2011

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   at Todd Becker’s blog there’s a good overview of the insulin debate and I like how he explains how the two competing theories differs (and why the low carb camp is right):

   http://gettingstronger.org/2011/02/does-insulin-make-you-fat/

   the calorie camp says:
   positive caloric balance > obesity > insulin resistance > hyerinsulinemia

   the low-carb camp says:
   carbohydrates > insulin spikes > hyperinsulinemia > insulin resistance > obesity

   and when you think about it’s kind of simple to test the caloric balance theory: you take thin people and you try to make them fat. High carb VS low carb, which one makes people gain fat faster? A fat gain experiment in a controlled environment would settle the calorie debate for good.

3. 

   James

   15 December 2010

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   Great geek out about insulin and biochemistry. I’ve been reading about the health benefits of vinegar. I’ve always liked vinegar. It says it’s has been used for thousands of years. I can’t believe there are some people that don’t like this stuff. What are HMFB thoughts on vinegar?

   • 

     Wes

     17 December 2010

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     Thanks, James. I’ve heard good things about vinegar also. I’ve always liked it with spinach, and of course you can’t go wrong with the balsamic version with olive oil in salads.