The fundamental flaw with obesity research and the proposed cure for it centers around the current interpretation of the law of thermodynamics. This is the law that says calories in less calories out equals body weight. Or, as everyone everywhere knows, the one and only right way to lose weight is to eat less and exercise more. Taubes explains how a simplistic, incomplete view of this law does not account for the regulation of fat tissue by hormones and enzymes, and thereby overlooks the underlying metabolic cause and disorder of fat growth. The role of insulin on fat tissue, for example, is not considered or factored into the thermodynamic equation. "…medical experts have been remarkably uninterested in the fat tissue itself."
Taubes reminds us that insulin is the primary regulator of fat metabolism. When insulin levels go up, fat is stored, and when insulin levels go down, fat is released. Likewise, insulin is also responsible for distortions and problems with fat metabolism. A common one is the constant over production of insulin from eating too many refined carbohydrates (foods made with flours and caloric sweeteners). This eventually results in “insulin resistance,” a condition where cells stop responding to the insulin. Insulin resistance is a primary indicator of type 2 Diabetes and a cluster of other systemic metabolic problems including high blood pressure, high triglycerides, low HDL cholesterol (the healthy cholesterol), high blood sugar, a big waist, and of course, obesity!
Despite the direct link between fat and insulin, mainstream researchers and the medical community continues to insist dietary fat is the root cause of obesity, type 2 diabetes and the other metabolic problems mentioned above. In fact, the idea that anything other than dietary fat might be the culprit in our diet is nutritional heresy. We’ve been programmed, relentlessly, to cut down on the amount of fat we consume and to eat “heart-healthy” foods like bread, cereal and pasta. These are the same flour-based foods mentioned above, that raise insulin. Saturated fat, by the way, lowers it. Therein is the crux of the contention. Is it dietary fat that’s to be avoided or is it white flour and caloric sweeteners?
Article comments
1 - Rachael Pontillo
I am going to check this one out. It is so true that you cannot trust researchers at all. For every study saying one thing, there are twenty out there saying the exact opposite. It will be interesting to get a different point of view.
I think it isn't just fat/caloric intake that is the problem it is unhealthy, processed food and all of the fillers, preservatives, artificial sweeteners, colors, etc. People ate this in the seventies, but not to the extent that they do today. More people still ate whole foods and home cooked meals. People need to start doing that again.
2 - Dana
Rachael, it's not fat intake or caloric intake that's the problem *at all*. You are going to get completely different results from eating 2000 calories of fat a day than you will from eating 2000 calories of carbohydrate. IF you can manage 2000 calories of fat. Fat, unlike protein or carbohydrate, induces true satiety on a biochemical level.
In every society that has had significant amounts of carbohydrate foods in their cuisine, there has been health damage and even obesity in those individuals who chose or were forced to eat a greater percentage of their diet as carbohydrate foods. The field of paleopathology shows that since the advent of grain agriculture we have become shorter, more prone to tooth decay and more susceptible to disease. Even ancient Egyptian art showed Pharoahs with pot bellies. None of this is anything new; we used to know, as a society, that sugar and starch caused overweight. We've been snookered by industrial food interests, the scientists whose research they've funded, and the politicians whose votes they buy.
3 - Sandra Neary
We were lucky enough to read Taube's "Good Calories, Bad Calories" about two years ago and make several adjustments to the way we (used to) eat that have had remarkable results. I thank Karen Bentley for this complete and thoughtful assessment of "Why We Get Fat". We include whole grains in our diet as well as lots of fresh vegies, but have eliminated virtually all sugar (including lactose and fructose) and all refined or processed foods. End result: we are much healthier and have lost a lot of weight. One small comment: in the "70's" a lot of simple carb food was eaten far less regularly than it is today - a "treat" was once a month or once a year, not once a week or once a day. I believe that sort of "reward" eating is one of the factors influencing today's trend towards obesity.
4 - Paul
When ever I live abroad, I lose weight, when I come back to the States, I gain it back. Learning to cook for myself helped a lot, too, because I was eating food instead of processed junk. Add to this cars making us a sitting society, and I'd say being unhealthy is built into the system.
5 - Jeff
You failed to mention that there are absolutely NO studies that equate fat intake with weight gain, heart disease or diabetes.
You are absolutely wrong.
6 - Flip
Recent research suggests that a baby born today has a life-span of 80. So how 'bout we just stop sweating so much about what we should and shouldn't eat, and just enjoy life? Everything in moderation, right? There's bigger issues in this world to get uptight about than "carbs or fats".