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>for example, I did not try to evaluate arguments about “good carbs” vs. “bad carbs.” That turned me off real fast. >Perhaps particular types of carbs, fats,

>for example, I did not try to evaluate arguments about “good carbs” vs. “bad carbs.” That turned me off real fast. >Perhaps particular types of carbs, fats, or proteins — e.g. refined carbohydrates, or sugars, or something else — are reliably linked to obesity. But I haven’t investigated any of those hypotheses yet. That's much better, but implies the rest of the article doesn't address it. "Carbs" can mean broccoli or pure sugar. The difference between broccoli and sugar is "Complex Carbs" vs "Simple Carbs". Simple carbs come from things like sugar, they break down really fast and the foods that contain them tend to be very "Calorically Dense", or have a shitload of calories by volume. EG a small blizzard from diary queen has 660 calories(1). That's the same as 4.3lbs of broccoli (2) You can polish off a small blizzard after a meal. You cannot eat four pounds of broccoli in one sitting. 660 Calories is also a respectable size for a meal, given the generic daily recommendation of 2000 calories. Though again the blizzard's calories are being added onto a meal. Carbs are not bad. Any kind of diet with a "silver bullet" to eat or avoid is overly simplistic and probably just preying on the hopeful. Understanding what macronutrients are and where they come from and what they do, and eating a fairly restrictive diet is a solid and sustained way to lose weight. For what it's worth, I don't think carbohydrates cause obesity. I think widely available overly sugary garbage food does. I don't know where you live but you'd be hard pressed to find a plate of steamed vegetables and grilled chicken downtown. You can get fast food though. (1) https://www.dairyqueen.com/us-en/Company/Nutrition/Treats/ https://www.dairyqueen.com/us-en/Company/Nutrition/Treats/ (2) https://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/calories/broccoli-raw-425578799# https://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/calories/broccoli-raw-4255...

timr 8y ago
"'Carbs' can mean broccoli or pure sugar." And since this analysis is using published scientific papers, you can be reasonably sure that the investigators did not make these kinds of completely novice errors in methodology. Certainly not across the board. I have never seen a study of the issue that confuses simple sugars with cellulose. Nearly all studies are based on the glycemic index, and use high- or low-glycemic-index foods as their discriminator. Most scientists are actually pretty good at their jobs. Obvious factors are controlled wherever possible. If you want to make this kind of a critique to a meta-analysis, you're actually making an extraordinary claim, and you must provide extraordinary evidence of improbable, correlated errors in the underlying studies.
stephengillie 8y ago
Another perspective is seeing food as batteries - do you want this 400-calorie pile to provide power across 4 hours, or do you want it to burn out in under 20 minutes?
kjeetgill 8y ago
> I think widely available overly sugary garbage food does. This "overly sugary garbage food" is what most people are referring to when they say "carbohydrates cause obesity". Even worse, it's not just "garbage food" but even well prepared food can often contain a surprising amount of added sugar. Perhaps "cause" is an imprecise term and a better phrasing might be: The significant increase of sugar and starches in a typical diet seem to account for the significant increase in obesity in practice. Also, the Complex/Simple Carbs are somewhat antiquated in diet terminology and instead use digestible vs undigestible (fiber). Anyone who's done Keto (a "0" carb diet) counts carbs using "Total Carbs" minus "Fiber". This means you're avoiding sugars and starches but advocating for more fiber. Sugars are simple, starches are complex, but fiber is also complex. As a fatty who has lost lot's of weight, stress ate my way back years later, and dropping them again: I found cutting carbs to be helpful, BUT(!) my diet philosophy is this: THE BEST DIET is about psychology 80% and nutrition 20%. Most of the value you're going to get by keeping your weekly calories low. You can try variations of macronutrients, meal timing and frequency, voodoo, etc. but the best one is the one you stick with, and can stick with long enough to reach your goals. Maybe you'll need to think about essential minerals and nutrients if you're trying something really really extreme. But with even minimal variety you should be good.

timr 8y ago

"'Carbs' can mean broccoli or pure sugar." And since this analysis is using published scientific papers, you can be reasonably sure that the investigators did not make these kinds of completely novice errors in methodology. Certainly not across the board. I have never seen a study of the issue that confuses simple sugars with cellulose. Nearly all studies are based on the glycemic index, and use high- or low-glycemic-index foods as their discriminator. Most scientists are actually pretty good at their jobs. Obvious factors are controlled wherever possible. If you want to make this kind of a critique to a meta-analysis, you're actually making an extraordinary claim, and you must provide extraordinary evidence of improbable, correlated errors in the underlying studies.

stephengillie 8y ago

Another perspective is seeing food as batteries - do you want this 400-calorie pile to provide power across 4 hours, or do you want it to burn out in under 20 minutes?

kjeetgill 8y ago

> I think widely available overly sugary garbage food does. This "overly sugary garbage food" is what most people are referring to when they say "carbohydrates cause obesity". Even worse, it's not just "garbage food" but even well prepared food can often contain a surprising amount of added sugar. Perhaps "cause" is an imprecise term and a better phrasing might be: The significant increase of sugar and starches in a typical diet seem to account for the significant increase in obesity in practice. Also, the Complex/Simple Carbs are somewhat antiquated in diet terminology and instead use digestible vs undigestible (fiber). Anyone who's done Keto (a "0" carb diet) counts carbs using "Total Carbs" minus "Fiber". This means you're avoiding sugars and starches but advocating for more fiber. Sugars are simple, starches are complex, but fiber is also complex. As a fatty who has lost lot's of weight, stress ate my way back years later, and dropping them again: I found cutting carbs to be helpful, BUT(!) my diet philosophy is this: THE BEST DIET is about psychology 80% and nutrition 20%. Most of the value you're going to get by keeping your weekly calories low. You can try variations of macronutrients, meal timing and frequency, voodoo, etc. but the best one is the one you stick with, and can stick with long enough to reach your goals. Maybe you'll need to think about essential minerals and nutrients if you're trying something really really extreme. But with even minimal variety you should be good.