The Diet-Heart Hypothesis – Hormonal Obesity XXXV
With the publication of Dr. Key's Seven Country Study, the origins of the Diet-Heart Hypothesis were laid down. The major problem was that this was all observational data, and as such, was subject to severe interpretation. There is nothing more dangerous in medicine than the correlation study. It cannot be used to prove a hypothesis,...
Fat Phobia – Hormonal Obesity XXXIV
“It is now increasingly recognized that the low-fat campaign has been based on little scientific evidence and may have caused unintended health consequences” It has been over a decade since the influential Harvard researchers Drs. Frank Hu and Walter Willett wrote this in 2001. Even now, the low fat campaigners are everywhere you care to...
Populations in Transition – Hormonal Obesity XXXIII
The populations of China and the Far East are slowly developing the same epidemic of diabetes and obesity that has overtaken the United States. As noted in the previous post, one of the strongest correlations with obesity is the intake of wheat. As noted in the Sugar section, the sugar intake is also increasing the...
Sugar Sweetened Beverages – Hormonal Obesity XXX
The epidemiological evidence linking sugar consumption and diabetes as well as obesity is overwhelming. Very little controversy surrounds this fact. Another demonized food – salt, by contrast is far more controversial. Many people argue that salt is not as bad as advertised – myself included. But sugar, alas, has few defenders, only pushers. This doesn’t...
Sugars 1 – Hormonal Obesity XXIX
Sugars are fattening. Of that, there is really little doubt. Almost everybody can agree upon this fact. The reason it is fattening is a little more contentious. Some consider sugar as empty calories since they contain few essential nutrients. Others think that sugar makes food more 'palatable' and thus cause us to overeat these foods....
The Benefits of Vinegar – Hormonal Obesity XXVIII
Diluted vinegar is a traditional tonic for weight loss. Indeed, mention of this remedy is found as far back as 1825, when Brillat-Savarin wrote about its dangers. A British poet, Lord Byron had popularized the weight loss tonic and would reportedly go for days eating biscuits and potatoes soaked in vinegar. Popular ways to use the vinegar...
Red Meat Dilemma – Hormonal Obesity XXVI
Our dilemma here is that there are really two opposing effects of meat and other animal proteins. One is to raise insulin which tends to cause weight gain, The other is to slow gastric emptying, increase satiety and tends to cause weight loss. Which is the stronger effect? One of the largest association studies of...
Replace, don’t Add Fruit – Hormonal Obesity XXI
One of the greatest barriers to weight loss is conventional dietary advice to eat more to lose weight. This was covered in a previous post "Time Dependence". This advice sounds completely contradictory because it is. Nevertheless, the media is full of unhelpful advice to eat more to lose weight. The reason, I believe, is that...
Bone Broth: A Broth that Can Do More than Cure A Cold – IDM VI
Remember when you were a child and suffering from the common cold your mom would probably have fed you some chicken soup? Turns out your mothers really did know best after all! According to an old South American proverb a “Good broth will resurrect the dead”. While the latter statement is a bit of an...
Having the Right Dietary Fats in Your Diet – IDM V
Sorry everyone, you have been misinformed! This has most likely led us to consume artificially made fats and diets high in carbohydrates. We now have skyrocketing rates of cardiovascular disease across North America. If you want to protect yourself against heart disease you better consume a moderate intake of natural dietary fats and limit your...
Why Dietary Cholesterol is Important – IDM IV
Cholesterol is not the evil, dietary monster it is made out to be! It is one of the most misunderstood substances on the planet, and consuming it in your diet could be lifesaving. We would not be able to survive without it because it is such a vital nutrient. Cholesterol, located in the plasma membrane...
Understanding Digestion: Why You Should Eat Carbohydrates With Fat, Fibre, and Vinegar – IDM III
In our previous post we discussed how the rate of digestion of different carbohydrates can affect our blood sugar levels. Carbohydrates are chains of sugars. They used to be classified by simple (1-2 sugars) versus complex (long chains). This was not very useful because it did not help us figure out the speed of digestion....
