tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890604293949783916.post4540101324103299528..comments2022-09-25T22:30:29.822-05:00Comments on Low-Carb for You: Good Calories Bad Calories Is Not Necessarily InfallibleStargazeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09566854038842118222noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890604293949783916.post-77180587191817188052010-04-16T21:21:23.983-05:002010-04-16T21:21:23.983-05:00Thanks for your reply! I was on a mission to figu...Thanks for your reply! I was on a mission to figure this out yesterday LOL! In fact, last night my husband said to me "what are you obsessing about now?" :~)LynMarie Dayehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08486294119556517760noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890604293949783916.post-85927760294535078422010-04-16T09:19:24.916-05:002010-04-16T09:19:24.916-05:00I agree with your assessment of Taubes. My quarrel...I agree with your assessment of Taubes. My quarrel is with those of his followers who don't seem to understand that his alternative hypothesis is not Scripture, but is subject to testing and revision just like any other scientific hypothesis.<br /><br />As for Dr. Carlson, what shall we say? He took biochemistry as an undergrad and again in medical school and seems to think that that makes him an expert. Long story short, yes, <a href="http://themedicalbiochemistrypage.org/images/betaoxidation.jpg" rel="nofollow">fatty acids yield acetyl co-A</a> and can be used for cholesterol synthesis. Sigh.Stargazeyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09566854038842118222noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890604293949783916.post-68699277837747728582010-04-16T07:59:30.444-05:002010-04-16T07:59:30.444-05:00Hi Stargazey!
The way I see it, Taubes doesn'...Hi Stargazey!<br /><br />The way I see it, Taubes doesn't claim to be infallible but some of his followers (for lack of a better word) seem to think he is. Some call GCBC their bible.<br /><br />Now if I could ask you a completely unrelated question. According to this <a href="http://drjamescarlson.blogspot.com/2010/04/tell-your-doctor-his-chemistry-is-wrong.html" rel="nofollow">post by Dr. James Carlson</a>, cholesterol synthesis only comes from glucose. I thought it could come from either glucose or fatty acids because they both yield acetyl CoA. Am I missing something? <br /><br />Thanks in advance!LynMarie Dayehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08486294119556517760noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890604293949783916.post-4740311965158667902010-04-15T19:27:58.255-05:002010-04-15T19:27:58.255-05:00Hi, Mike! Your'e right about the hairsplitting...Hi, Mike! Your'e right about the hairsplitting. Normally I wouldn't have addressed these points, but when I read them again, I realized that certain low-carbers have taken the first three of them as holy writ and are leading others astray as a result.<br /><br />For instance, some people have used Taubes's point #1 to claim that if they avoid carbs altogether, they are no longer secreting insulin because they don't need it. This simply isn't true. If it were, type 1 diabetics could have used a zero carb diet to survive in the days before exogenous insuin was available. They couldn't and they didn't. To address your specific question, the secretion of glucagon is necessary to counteract the blood glucose lowering effect of the insulin, but it doesn't stop the insulin from being released.<br /><br />On point #3, there are lots of people who do low-carb but who can't lose weight effectively on it. If their "satisfactometer" is broken, they will overcome the metabolic advantage and the satiety effect of low-carbing and eat enough calories to maintain an overweight condition. They don't succeed at weight loss until they find a way to decrease their caloric intake along with their carbs. Dr. Richard Bernstein uses Byetta and Symlin in patients like this and has some success.<br /><br />On point #4, Gary Taubes was probably talking about the early stages of type 2 diabetes. It's important to realize that he is self-taught in this area, and that he is covering material that is normally taught in two years of medical school basic science. He got many things right in his book, but has a few holes in his knowledge base. On the other hand, he doesn't try to come across as a know-it-all and will probably be willing to change his views as more knowledge becomes available to him.<br /><br />Thanks for reading here and taking the time to comment!Stargazeyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09566854038842118222noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890604293949783916.post-15485216425128472482010-04-15T17:53:04.413-05:002010-04-15T17:53:04.413-05:00Always awesome stuff, Stargazy. I do agree that G...Always awesome stuff, Stargazy. I do agree that GCBC is *not* infallible; Taubes, while having an eye for detail, has not covered ALL the details. A task like that would be near insurmountable.<br /><br />I'd like to counter a few of your points with questions/comments of my own; in no way am I challenging, I am merely trying to grasp the concepts fully.<br /><br />1)Protein does cause insulin release, but it also stimulates glucagon release from the alpha cells, especially in complete proteins from animal sources. This attenuates the insulin response. Both studies make mention on this, but it was not measured.<br /><br />2) I got nothing on that, lol, but I do agree there's more to fat storage than just insulin. Master hormone? Sure. Single player? No way. Looks like I need to do more reading, thank you. ;)<br /><br />3) While I cannot argue with this point either, would, in your experience, say that this point could be considered "splitting hairs" for the vast majority of the general population? I would suspect that only a genetic defect would exacerbate glycerolneogenesis (hyperglycerolneogenesis?) I have yet to see someone actually NOT lose weight from a lower carb, high pro/fat dietary change. I do get your point, though that Taubes is making it a black and white issue, which it is clearly not.<br /><br />4) I agree, and a Type II with low insulin would be transitioning to type I as beta cells are completely spent. I don't remember Taubes clarifying this point; I was (perhaps wrongly) under the assumption when he talked about Type II, he was referring to beginning stages, during hyperinsulinemia. <br /><br />I always appreciate the phenomenal content you post up, please keep up the great work!Mikehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07000362967107422435noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890604293949783916.post-13366645716239053602010-04-14T07:45:31.413-05:002010-04-14T07:45:31.413-05:00Thanks for the link, Pooja. Although the American ...Thanks for the link, Pooja. Although the American Diabetes Association believes that cholesterol and obesity cause type 2 diabetes, evidence is mounting that a high carbohydrate intake may be the culprit. For the prevention and treatment of diabetes please consider the low-carb approach of <a href="http://www.diabetes-solution.net/" rel="nofollow">Dr. Richard Bernstein</a>.<br /><br />Just as a technical point, insulin resistance means that a person is able to absorb insulin, but that his or her tissues don't respond to it as efficiently as they should. Welcome to the blog, though, and I hope you enjoy reading some of the previous posts on the science behind low-carbing!Stargazeyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09566854038842118222noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890604293949783916.post-56888341268058357992010-04-14T01:01:50.953-05:002010-04-14T01:01:50.953-05:00Diabetes is a very common disease. The deficiency ...Diabetes is a very common disease. The deficiency of insulin leads to type 1 diabetes and the inability of the body to absorb insulin leads to type 2 diabetes. It is commonly found in children and teens. There are many signs and symptoms like fatigue, weakness, excessive urination, weight gain or loss, itching in genital organs etc. Cholesterol, hypertension, obesity are few causes of type 2 diabetes. Regular exercise and right diet helps you to prevent <br />from diabetes. For more details refer <a href="http://www.areyoudiabetic.net/what-is-type-2-diabetes.html" rel="nofollow">Type 2 Diabetes</a>Poojahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07927598655469081524noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890604293949783916.post-81937045568135972022010-04-13T18:50:25.690-05:002010-04-13T18:50:25.690-05:00Well said, Charles R. I agree completely!Well said, Charles R. I agree completely!Stargazeyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09566854038842118222noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890604293949783916.post-21720589265618197392010-04-13T18:07:58.846-05:002010-04-13T18:07:58.846-05:00I'm trying to find the passage in GCBC where T...I'm trying to find the passage in GCBC where Taubes claims infallibility, and I can't seem to locate it ;=)<br /><br />I can find passages where that claim seems to be being made by other researchers in the field, however.<br /><br />What I always tell people when I get into a discussion about this or that specific point that Gary brings up is the only thing he claimed to be doing was bringing up an alternate <b>hypothesis</b> that needed to be tested. <br /><br />From my reading, he didn't claim to have the ultimate truth, he only argued that there was little or no support in the research for the prevailing hypothesis ("gluttony or sloth" or saturated fat), and a fair amount for his hypothesis, and why not test it and find out if it's helpful or not.<br /><br />It is already three years old, and has spurred a great deal of discussion, further research, and more scrutiny of the existing literature. <br /><br />And there is now this incredible network of people out there talking about the research, drawing new conclusions and coming up with new hypotheses, like Peter you mentioned and Stephen over at wholehealthsource.com.<br /><br />I have the feeling Gary thinks that's all great, as is someone coming up with questions like yours...That's what science is all about, seems like.Charles R.https://www.blogger.com/profile/09139496312163674161noreply@blogger.com