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The Carbohydrate Hypothesis of Obesity: a Critical Examination: http://wholehealthsource.blogspot.com/2011/08/carbohydrate-hypothesis-of-obesity.html http://wh

by gx3 13y ago

The Carbohydrate Hypothesis of Obesity: a Critical Examination: http://wholehealthsource.blogspot.com/2011/08/carbohydrate-hypothesis-of-obesity.html http://wholehealthsource.blogspot.com/2011/08/carbohydrate-h... Basically debunks the carbohydrate hypothesis: "I hope you can see by now that the carbohydrate hypothesis of obesity is not only incorrect on a number of levels, but it may even be backward. The reason why obesity and metabolism researchers don't typically subscribe to this idea is that it is contradicted by a large body of evidence from multiple fields. I understand that people like ideas that "challenge conventional wisdom", but the fact is that obesity is a complex state and it will not be shoehorned into simplistic hypotheses."

js2 13y ago
It's worth quoting the introduction to give context to that conclusion: "I'd like to begin by emphasizing that carbohydrate restriction has helped many people lose body fat and improve their metabolic health. Although it doesn't work for everyone, there is no doubt that carbohydrate restriction causes fat loss in many, perhaps even most obese people. For a subset of people, the results can be very impressive. I consider that to be a fact at this point, but that's not what I'll be discussing here. What I want to discuss is a hypothesis. It's the idea, championed by Gary Taubes, that carbohydrate (particularly refined carbohydrate) is the primary cause of common obesity due to its ability to elevate insulin, thereby causing increased fat storage in fat cells." Aside: if I only had time to follow one blog on nutrition, it would be Whole Health Source.
mistermann 13y ago
Wait, are you saying that carbs are or are not a prime cause of obesity?
penrod 13y ago
The proposition that carbohydrates cause obesity may be true even if it is not the case that insulin plays a primary role in that process as Taubes claims. Since it is only the latter proposition that Guyenet debunks, he makes an obvious logical error in claiming that the broader carbohydrate hypothesis has been refuted.

by gx3 13y ago

js2 13y ago

It's worth quoting the introduction to give context to that conclusion: "I'd like to begin by emphasizing that carbohydrate restriction has helped many people lose body fat and improve their metabolic health. Although it doesn't work for everyone, there is no doubt that carbohydrate restriction causes fat loss in many, perhaps even most obese people. For a subset of people, the results can be very impressive. I consider that to be a fact at this point, but that's not what I'll be discussing here. What I want to discuss is a hypothesis. It's the idea, championed by Gary Taubes, that carbohydrate (particularly refined carbohydrate) is the primary cause of common obesity due to its ability to elevate insulin, thereby causing increased fat storage in fat cells." Aside: if I only had time to follow one blog on nutrition, it would be Whole Health Source.

mistermann 13y ago

Wait, are you saying that carbs are or are not a prime cause of obesity?

penrod 13y ago

The proposition that carbohydrates cause obesity may be true even if it is not the case that insulin plays a primary role in that process as Taubes claims. Since it is only the latter proposition that Guyenet debunks, he makes an obvious logical error in claiming that the broader carbohydrate hypothesis has been refuted.