Gary Taubes Top Ten Conclusions

It's been awhile since I have blogged about issues related to weight loss or the low-carb lifestyle.  I've been meaning to put this up for awhile and just haven't gotten around to it - this is Gary Taubes summary of conclusions from his book Good Calories, Bad Calories.  That's the book that gave me the impetus and intellectual ammunition I needed to get on and stay on a low-carb diet.  This list is on page 454 of the book and I mention that to say that I am just offering his summary, not proofs for his conclusions.  The other 453 pages of the book document these things amply, and I would say that if you are at all interested in weight loss or nutrition you owe it to yourself to read Taubes book.  So without further ado, here's the Taubes Top Ten:

1. Dietary fat, whether saturated or not, is not a cause of obesity, heart disease or any other chronic diseas of civilization.

2. The problem is the carbohydrates in the diet, their effect on insulin secretion, and thus the hormonal regulation of homeostasis - the entire harmonic ensemble of the human body.  The more easily digestible and refined the carbohydrates, the greater the effect on your health, weight and well-being.

3. Sugars - sucrose and high-fructose corn syrup specifically - are particularly harmful, probably because the combination of fructose and glucose simultaneously elevates insulin levels while overloading the liver with carbohydrates.

4. Through their direct effect on insulin and blood sugar, refined carbohydrates, starches and sugars are the dietary cause of coronary heart disease and diabetes.  They are most likely dietary causes of cancer, Alzheimer's disease, and the other chronic diseases of civilization.

5. Obesity is a disorder of excess fat accumulation, not overeating, and not sedentary behavior.

6. Consuming excess calories does not cause us to grow fatter, any more than it causes a child to grow taller.  Expending more energy than we consume does not lead to long-term weight loss; it leads to hunger.

7. Fattening and obesity are caused by an imbalance - a disequilibrium - in the hormonal regulation of adipose tissue and fat metabolism.  Fat synthesis and storage exceed the mobilization of fat from the adipose tissue and its subsequent oxidation.  We become leaner when the hormonal regulation of fat tissue reverses this balance.

8. Insulin is the primary regulator of fat storage.  When insulin levels are elevated - either chronically or after a meal - we accumulate fat in our fat tissue.  When insulin levels fall, we release fat from our fat tissue and use it for fuel.

9.  By stimulating insulin secretion, carbohydrates make us fast and ultimately cause obesity.  The fewer carbohydrates we consume, the leaner we will be.

10. By driving fat accumulation, carbohydrates also increase hunger and decrease the amount of energy we expend in metabolism and physical activity.

Comments

[enabler]

#9 should read "carbohydrates make us fat" not "fast". Thanks for posting this handy summary list.

[Anonymous]

"Expending more energy than we consume does not lead to long-term weight loss; it leads to hunger." - Err... Ummm... That one might be a hard sell, as that is the definition of weight loss.

[enabler]

@Anonymous: The quote refers to "long-term weight loss" and I can totally attest to this conclusion. Eating less than I am using DOES lead to weight-loss... but I ultimately would just put it back on over the following months because I never paid attention to where my calories were coming from. After 20 days of paying attention to how much sugar / refined-carbohydrates I am eating I'm already down 6 lbs. I'm never starving myself... I eat as much meat, cheese, vegetables and fruit as I want... the weight just seems to be going away. Never has a change to my eating made so much sense and seen such effortless results.

[barbara]

Thanks for a great post. Just in time for getting in shape for summer.

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