4 ms·

There are no singular reasons for obesity. Certainly the reason is not sugar or fat. The reasoning here seems to be a basic misunderstanding of logic. Just beca

There are no singular reasons for obesity. Certainly the reason is not sugar or fat. The reasoning here seems to be a basic misunderstanding of logic. Just because "no carbs => lean" doesn't mean "lean iff no carbs". I would hate for ignorance to turn the essential sugar fuel I need to ride 100 miles on my bike (no, it turns out, you don't want to do that on fat metabolism alone!) into some unobtainable luxury.

beachstartup 12y ago
> (no, it turns out, you don't want to do that on fat metabolism alone!) i'm not an expert in this field, but during my personal ketogenic diet research, i came across many elite but amateur endurance athletes blogging about their switch from carb-adapted to fat-adapted performance. to a layman like me, it would seem that professionals wouldn't be publicizing the fact that they have switched to fat-fueled endurance training because it would be a massive competitive advantage. the research in this area of biology is extremely cutting edge with new information being published monthly, and i can only imagine well-funded professional athletes are simply training/eating and performing at a level far and away beyond the typical enthusiast or fitness athlete. not only that - they can sustain a specialized, ketogenic diet required to actually achieve such a state.
- xiaoma 12y ago
  >to a layman like me, it would seem that professionals wouldn't be publicizing the fact that they have switched to fat-fueled endurance training because it would be a massive competitive advantage. Except it's a disadvantage, not an advantage. All kinds of diets have been tried in the name of performance and the results are pretty clear. The typical world class runner's diets in the top performing country (Kenya) has 76.5 percent of daily calories consumed as carbohydrates. This group of runners has absolutely demolished lower carbohydrate consuming western runners. Marathoners from other top-performing countries (Ethiopia and Japan) have similarly been scrutinized with similar results. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15657475 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15657475
  - beachstartup 12y ago
    yeah, but that's not what we're testing. this data doesn't isolate the variable of being kenyan. the proper experiment would be to take half of the kenyan runners and fat-adapt them, and compare their performance to the other kenyans, as well as their previous selves. has that study been done?
    - xiaoma 12y ago
      The phenomena isn't limited to Kenyans. Top runners around the world have that kind of diet. You're not going to find a "proper" experiment, but many, many athletes experiment with their diets, and ketogenic diets are pretty well explored ground. Athletes and coaches alike gravitate towards what yields results. Running is an extremely competitive sport with few barriers to entry and the claim of such a low-hanging "massive competitive advantage" is an extraordinary one that requires extraordinary evidence to be taken seriously.
undersuit 12y ago
My father performs long rides all the time so I have an idea of the caloric needs you and him have. Carbohydrates shouldn't be unobtainable or something just for the rich, but a bag of gummi bears should no longer be 2 ten thousandths of a cent per calorie. http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=%2412.25+divided+%285+pounds+divided+3.9+grams+per+serving+times+130+Calories+per+serving%29 http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=%2412.25+divided+%285+p...
findjashua 12y ago
As far as the energy argument is concerned, wouldn't starch be a better source, since it's all glucose? Sugar is not only an inferior source of energy (since it's only half glucose), the fructose wreaks havoc on your liver. As for the obesity argument, I think there are two things to consider here: 1. sweet foods are calorie dense. Hence, it's easy to consume too many calories until you feel full. 2. they also have a high reward factor, so it's likely that you would keep eating even after you're full - there's always room for dessert! Though, these problems not limited to sugar/hfcs. Fructose-free sweeteners suffer from them as well.

beachstartup 12y ago

> (no, it turns out, you don't want to do that on fat metabolism alone!) i'm not an expert in this field, but during my personal ketogenic diet research, i came across many elite but amateur endurance athletes blogging about their switch from carb-adapted to fat-adapted performance. to a layman like me, it would seem that professionals wouldn't be publicizing the fact that they have switched to fat-fueled endurance training because it would be a massive competitive advantage. the research in this area of biology is extremely cutting edge with new information being published monthly, and i can only imagine well-funded professional athletes are simply training/eating and performing at a level far and away beyond the typical enthusiast or fitness athlete. not only that - they can sustain a specialized, ketogenic diet required to actually achieve such a state.

xiaoma 12y ago
>to a layman like me, it would seem that professionals wouldn't be publicizing the fact that they have switched to fat-fueled endurance training because it would be a massive competitive advantage. Except it's a disadvantage, not an advantage. All kinds of diets have been tried in the name of performance and the results are pretty clear. The typical world class runner's diets in the top performing country (Kenya) has 76.5 percent of daily calories consumed as carbohydrates. This group of runners has absolutely demolished lower carbohydrate consuming western runners. Marathoners from other top-performing countries (Ethiopia and Japan) have similarly been scrutinized with similar results. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15657475 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15657475
- beachstartup 12y ago
  yeah, but that's not what we're testing. this data doesn't isolate the variable of being kenyan. the proper experiment would be to take half of the kenyan runners and fat-adapt them, and compare their performance to the other kenyans, as well as their previous selves. has that study been done?
  - xiaoma 12y ago
    The phenomena isn't limited to Kenyans. Top runners around the world have that kind of diet. You're not going to find a "proper" experiment, but many, many athletes experiment with their diets, and ketogenic diets are pretty well explored ground. Athletes and coaches alike gravitate towards what yields results. Running is an extremely competitive sport with few barriers to entry and the claim of such a low-hanging "massive competitive advantage" is an extraordinary one that requires extraordinary evidence to be taken seriously.

undersuit 12y ago

My father performs long rides all the time so I have an idea of the caloric needs you and him have. Carbohydrates shouldn't be unobtainable or something just for the rich, but a bag of gummi bears should no longer be 2 ten thousandths of a cent per calorie. http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=%2412.25+divided+%285+pounds+divided+3.9+grams+per+serving+times+130+Calories+per+serving%29 http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=%2412.25+divided+%285+p...

findjashua 12y ago

As far as the energy argument is concerned, wouldn't starch be a better source, since it's all glucose? Sugar is not only an inferior source of energy (since it's only half glucose), the fructose wreaks havoc on your liver. As for the obesity argument, I think there are two things to consider here: 1. sweet foods are calorie dense. Hence, it's easy to consume too many calories until you feel full. 2. they also have a high reward factor, so it's likely that you would keep eating even after you're full - there's always room for dessert! Though, these problems not limited to sugar/hfcs. Fructose-free sweeteners suffer from them as well.