When I was thinking about what subjects I wanted to hit on while writing my latest book 21 Life Lessons From Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb, one no-brainer had to be all of the ridiculous headlines that have come out about healthy high-fat and low-carb diets under the guise of scientific research. You’ve seen what I’m talking about whenever a new study releases showing supposed damning evidence against this way of eating and that’s what our culture grabs hold of as “proof” that low-carb and high-fat diets are unhealthy. In fact, we just saw it happen just this week with two new studies that I’d like to highlight and obliterate for you. The first one we read about in this FOX News story was published in the March 2010 issue of The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition featuring lead researcher Dr. Teri L. Hernandez from University of Colorado at Denver. She along with a couple of notable names in the world of conventional health–American Heart Association President Dr. Robert Eckel (creator of the obnoxious Bad Fats Brothers campaign and Dr. James Hill from The National Weight Control Registry (which obviously skews towards low-calorie, low-fat diets)–wanted to do yet another comparison study of low-fat diets vs. low-carb diets. This one was designed to look at what happens to the metabolic profile while following the specified diet. Let me say how much I appreciated the fact that the “low-carb” diet Dr. Hernandez used in this study was truly an Atkins Induction-styled high-fat, low-carb nutritional approach unlike most studies which claim to examine low-carb and then there’s dismal results. This one was indeed what is technically referred to according to what researchers define as a low-carb ketogenic diet (LCKD). WOO HOO! This diet was pitted against a calorie-restricted low-fat, high-carb (55 percent of caloric intake) diet to see what would happen not just with weight loss but key blood markers over a six-week period. So far, so good right? Well, after comparing these two diets 32 obese study participants to see what impact they would have on cholesterol levels, the researchers zeroed in on one particular health marker as the most important of all: low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. Although both groups experienced similar weight loss, the fasting LDL INCREASED significantly in the low-carb group while the low-fat, high-carb group showed a decrease in LDL. This was what made the headlines. But whoop-dee-doo! What happened to HDL cholesterol on the high-fat, low-carb diet? I have no doubt based on previous research that it increased while HDL most likely remained the same or went down on the low-fat, high-carb diet. Additionally, triglycerides most certainly had to plummet on the LCKD and they had to have gone up with all those carbohydrates consumed in the low-fat group. Why wouldn’t this information be shared? We already know that HDL and triglycerides are better markers for cardiovascular health than LDL and total cholesterol. Plus, the missing element Dr. Hernandez does NOT talk about in this study is the LDL particle size. I discuss this in Lesson #2 of my new book because it is too important an issue to miss…and research like this totally misses the boat time and time again. When HDL is up above 50 (when you eat plenty of fat in your diet) and triglycerides are below 100 (by reducing carb consumption), then the predominance of your LDL particles will be the large, fluffy kind that are protective against penetrating the arterial wall of your arteries, becoming inflamed, and causing heart trouble. But when you consume a high-carb, low-fat diet, the LDL particles become the much more dangerous small, dense kind that you absolutely want to avoid at all costs. That’s why I so highly recommend people get an NMR LipoProfile test to know exactly what your particle number and size is. So all this belly-aching and pontification by our media over avoiding a high-fat, low-carb diet is much ado about nothing because it is bogus. That FOX News story I quoted even made the idiotic statement that “high LDL levels are a risk factor for heart disease because they are linked to clogged arteries. Why is it that a non-medically educated layman like Jimmy Moore can understand just how insane a study like this is and yet all these so-called expert medical professionals who attached their name to this study just turned a blind eye to the elephant in the room? You can e-mail Dr. Teri Hernandez directly at teri.hernandez@ucdenver.edu to ask her why LDL particle size was not taken into consideration in her new study. I’m curious to know what she’ll have to say about it! But Dr. Hernandez was not alone in the dissemination of bad science this week about healthy nutrition. This New York Times story reports on a new study that claims high-fat diets will raise the risk of stroke in women. The lead researcher is Dr. Ka He, assistant professor of nutrition and epidemiology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Public Health and he wanted to see the impact of dietary fat on stroke risk as part of the huge 87,230-member Women’s Health Initiative. He made his presentation at the annual American Stroke Association conference on February 24, 2010. Like the American Heart Association, this group is stuck on the conventional wisdom regarding diet–low-fat, high-carb, calorie-controlled. So it’s no surprise that research like this from Dr. He would be so embraced and heavily touted by the media who once again get it “dead wrong” about a high-fat diet as I shared about in Lesson #5 of my new book. The claim is made that consuming dietary fatty foods raises the risk of stroke in women over 50 by 44 percent. So, what are these “high-fat” foods that are the culprits? Lemme name them one-by-one as they appear in this story: cookies, pastries, Share your positive health experiences consuming a high-fat diet with Dr. Ka He by e-mailing him at kahe@unc.edu. I think people like him need to know that their data is based on a preconceived assumption of fact that doesn’t exist and that this kind of research is probably going to be more damaging than beneficial in the end. Always be on the lookout for this kind of phony-baloney science that is supposed to make high-fat, low-carb living look like the enemy. More times than not, all it takes is just a little digging and you’ll find that dog doesn’t hunt. Don’t be discouraged as you are livin’ la vida low-carb because of stories like this. Yes, many people will buy into them hook, line, and sinker, but it’s up to people like you and me to keep ‘em educated with the truth and then let them decide for themselves about what to do with that. Knowledge is power!
Two new studies may be leaving you in disbelief about high-fat, low-carb
Cardiovascular nurse and researcher Dr. Teri L. Hernandez
UNC-Chapel Hill nutrition specialist Dr. Ka He
stick margarine, fried foods, crackers, Snicker bar, Crunchy Cheetos, and Haagen-Dazs ice cream bar. These are THEIR examples of the “fatty” foods that were the culprit in increasing the risk of stroke. Does anybody else besides me notice which macronutrient every single one of those foods is predominantly made up of? Of course–CARBOHYDRATES! Sugar, flour, and just plain garbage! It ain’t the fat causing the problems, Dr. He, it’s the carbs my man. Limiting fat without taking into consideration what those carbohydrates are doing to the health of those women is not going to make the necessary improvements they need to live a healthy life.
Comments
I love how any study you don't agree with is "bad science." Are you a scientist? What are your credentials?
Truly hair-brained! Jimmy, your credentials are that you READ THE STUDIES, and know where to get the truth! Those out there who just follow the conventional wisdom are the dolts - lemmings about to fall off the cliff.
Thank you for all that you do!
I'd say losing over 200 pounds and keeping most of it of is one impressive credential.
Mrs. Butterworth: Scientific studies are available online and in print for the public to read. Anyone with a brain can interpret the results and pinpoint the biases of some researchers. Also, many respected doctors comb through the research and simplify the outcomes in plain English for the less academic to understand. You don't need "credentials" to research and read.
It's common knowledge scientific studies can be biased due to preconceived notions of scientists, and funding many scientists receive by parties with a vested interest expecting a certain outcome in their interest influences how studies are presented.
I assume your credentials are in the area of syrup and pancakes?
Low carb diets are extremely dangerous - I've had several friends who've gotten very sick from doing them, plus, when you stop you gain ALL the weight back PLUS more. How to lose weight? Eat less exercise more. Why do Yanks always want quick fixes that don't work?
Another aspect of the study that could skew the results is the method used to determine LDL. Recent studies have shown that when triglycerides decrease significantly, the Friedwald equation becomes less accurate calculating LDL. As such, since low carb diets dramatically decrease triglycerides, if the Friedwald equation was used, the LDL results would be high.
I've found it very interesting that almost every study I read that reports an increase in either total or LDL cholesterol also fails to report the change in HDL.
And Jimmy, don't be too hard on Dr. Hernandez. She's probably basing her research on what she learned in school years ago. Most medical professionals and researchers don't take the time to keep up with the latest in lipid research and they also avoid any risks associated with publishing results that run contrary with current scientific opinion.
One more thing, here's a quote that perfectly describes the mindset of a lot of people and their attitude toward conflicting information.
"There is a principle which is a bar against all information, which is proof against all arguments and which can not fail to keep a man in everlasting ignorance-that principle is contempt prior to investigation."
Or to put it another way, "Don't confuse me with the facts, my mind's already made up."
Yet again the ugly side of Jimmy Moore rears its ugly head because the results of the study don't agree with what you want to hear.
Keep up the good work, Jimmy!
The zeal in which they attack your work shows that you are a threat to the system. Unfortunately, the "system" cares more about making the US highly dependent upon the medical and pharmaceutical industries than they care about the health and well being of US citizens.
It is interesting to note that the beginning of the current overweight and obesity epidemic can be traced back to the 1970's when the federal government had the USDA issue guidelines as to what Americans should be eating.
The well known "Food Pyramid" was foisted upon us. It said we should eat more carbs and cut way down on natural fats and oils. Hydrogenated oils in the form of margarine became the supposed symbol of health. And to top it off, study after study are released to back up how healthy their way of eating is and how unhealthy it is to eat any other way.
Results? Obesity has gone up 400% -- Bad science indeed!
Two huge problems with the story associated with this study.
1. The fact that the author didn't distinguish between types of LDL. I don't know if the actual study breaks down the LDL levels or just measures them as one unit, which would be incorrect in determining any health risks.
2. The suggestion that low carb diets actually cause diabetes because of the increase in FFAs. People reading this article that don't know better would assume a low carb diet causes glucose levels to increase.
It would be helpful to read the actual study to see if this was a bias on the part of the reuters author or junk science.
Who cares about the science of what you eat? Why not just eat lots of fruit, lots of vegetables and limit your snacks to sensible portions. If you eat meat spread it between chicken, red meat and fish. Be all inclusive of healthy carbs and exercise regularly. Everyone I have ever known who has done that lived a healthy life, and everyone else had diabetes, cancer, cholesterol and were obese or overweight. It is really that simple...
I do not think Jimmy Moore understands science...needs to take a couple of nutrition courses in a community college.
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