Good Calories, Bad Calories, by Gary Taubes

...that insulin increases appetite doesn't ring any bells as something Taubes claim...

We agree with Taubes that it is increased intake of refined carbohydrates rather than fat that is responsible for problems with obesity.

molbiogirl writes:Now would you like to discuss it?

molbiogirl writes:He does not use the word refined in the prologue. Starchy, yes. Refined, no. There's a difference.

molbiogirl writes:Great. Let's start with Taubes' assertion that insulin increases hunger.I've posted 4 quotes from Taubes' work that makes this claim.

We agree with Taubes that it is increased intake of refined carbohydrates rather than fat that is responsible for problems with obesity.

Hi [name redacted],There are many places in the book where he refers to carbohydrate as fattening without any qualifiers. For example, "the carbohydrate hypothesis" rather than "the refined carbohydrate hypothesis". If he only meant refined carbohydrates, and not unrefined carbohydrates, he did not make that clear at all in his books. There is nowhere in his books where he states that unrefined carbohydrates are not fattening; he never draws a clear distinction between refined and unrefined. What he does is suggest that refined carbohydrate is more fattening than unrefined carbohydrate. Another example is where he discussed the Massas tribe. He states that they fatten by adding carbohydrate to a low-carb diet (which was incorrect), and this caused them to gain fat. But the carbohydrate they added was unrefined red sorghum. Why would he use that example if he thought unrefined carbohydrate was not fattening?
Cheers,Stephan

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

I'm not here to defend every detail of Taubes' book, but I think he describes a reasonable hypothesis.

1. Dietary fat, whether saturated or not, is not a cause of obesity, heart disease, or any other chronic disease of civilization.2. The problem is the carbohydrates in the diet, their effect on insulin secretion, and thus the hormonal regulation of homeostasisthe entire harmonic ensemble of the human body. The more easily digestible and refined the carbohydrates, the greater the effect on our health, weight, and well-being.3. Sugarssucrose and high-fructose corn syrup specificallyare 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 the 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 imbalancea disequilibriumin 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 the fat tissue reverses this balance.8. Insulin is the primary regulator of fat storage. When insulin levels are elevatedeither chronically or after a mealwe 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 fat 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.