Mitra
02-22-2008, 03:47 AM
Study finds those eating low-fat diets with high insulin levels are most prone to weight gain (http://www.drbriffa.com/blog/2008/02/20/study-finds-those-eating-low-fat-diets-with-high-insulin-levels-most-prone-to-weight-gain/)
One important factor here concerns appetite. It makes sense for individuals who want to curb any tendency to overeat to consume foods that tend to be appetite-sating relative to other foods. The usual advice is geared toward getting individuals to eat a fibre-rich diet because, supposedly, ‘fibre fills us up’ and helps us ‘feel full for longer’. Actually, there is good evidence that, overall, protein is the part of the diet that packs really appetite-sating power.
Another factor well worth considering concerns the tendency for food to predispose to fatty accumulation in the body. While it seems obvious that the major dietary spectre in this respect is fat, the reality is that the prime fat-producing hormone in the body is insulin. And insulin, as we know, is secreted chiefly in response to intake or carbohydrate.
Briffa is reporting on a study from the American Journal of (A novel interaction between dietary composition and insulin secretion: effects on weight gain in the Quebec Family Study, Am J Clin Nutr 2008;87:303-309 - only the abstract (http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/abstract/87/2/303) is free). The study found that:In individuals eating a lower fat diet, higher levels of insulin were associated with an increased risk of weight gain and increase in waist circumference.
This association was not evident in individuals eating a higher-fat diet.
Overall, in the low-fat eating group, individuals with the highest insulin levels gained 4.5 kg (9.9 pounds) more than those with low insulin levels.
Briffa speculates that those eating more fat were eating less carb, but it's hard to know that without seeing the details, which aren't given in the abstract. Neither does the abstract say anything about those who weren't in the high insulin group.
I'd like to see the full text of the study, but AJCN don't release that for a year. Still, definitely not good news for low fat advocates.
One important factor here concerns appetite. It makes sense for individuals who want to curb any tendency to overeat to consume foods that tend to be appetite-sating relative to other foods. The usual advice is geared toward getting individuals to eat a fibre-rich diet because, supposedly, ‘fibre fills us up’ and helps us ‘feel full for longer’. Actually, there is good evidence that, overall, protein is the part of the diet that packs really appetite-sating power.
Another factor well worth considering concerns the tendency for food to predispose to fatty accumulation in the body. While it seems obvious that the major dietary spectre in this respect is fat, the reality is that the prime fat-producing hormone in the body is insulin. And insulin, as we know, is secreted chiefly in response to intake or carbohydrate.
Briffa is reporting on a study from the American Journal of (A novel interaction between dietary composition and insulin secretion: effects on weight gain in the Quebec Family Study, Am J Clin Nutr 2008;87:303-309 - only the abstract (http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/abstract/87/2/303) is free). The study found that:In individuals eating a lower fat diet, higher levels of insulin were associated with an increased risk of weight gain and increase in waist circumference.
This association was not evident in individuals eating a higher-fat diet.
Overall, in the low-fat eating group, individuals with the highest insulin levels gained 4.5 kg (9.9 pounds) more than those with low insulin levels.
Briffa speculates that those eating more fat were eating less carb, but it's hard to know that without seeing the details, which aren't given in the abstract. Neither does the abstract say anything about those who weren't in the high insulin group.
I'd like to see the full text of the study, but AJCN don't release that for a year. Still, definitely not good news for low fat advocates.