Insulin doesn't make you fat. page

[Red Wire]

Great article over at Whole Health Source explaining, everyone should read it.

Whole Health Source: The Carbohydrate Hypothesis of Obesity: a Critical Examination

[Pooka]

Knew that was coming...

[Wally_B_Sr]

from the link

As we are all on the same page (I hope) that the first law of thermodynamics applies to humans, for insulin to cause fat gain, it must either increase energy intake, decrease energy expenditure, or both.

either that or it is part of a much larger and more complex system, of which insulin plays a vital role and is easy to measure but is not the whole story.

[Red Wire]

either that or it is part of a much larger and more complex system, of which insulin plays a vital role and is easy to measure but is not the whole story.

an idea of what that larger or more complex system might be?

[Mike Gager]

an idea of what that larger or more complex system might be?

Leptin

[zoebird]

the human body?

I mean, the human body is a massive, complex system -- it's not just therodynamics. It's predominately hormones -- and how our body reacts to everything that is coming in, how it uses it, and so on. If it was just thermodynamics, then we would be able to utilize transfats -- because, in theory, transfats are just fats and they can be burned for fuel. But, our body has no clue what to do with transfats, so it stores it.

that's just one example, and yes, the article is flawed. but, i don't really care. I eat plenty of carbs.

[Heidi]

I don't know what to believe anymore. I never could view insulin as the reason for my fatness because my insulin levels are fine. Something's fueling my fatness, which I've always blamed on my weakness for processed junk foods. But then I shake my head in confusion when I look at my friends and family members who eat more junk than I ever did while doing less exercise, but they stay thin. Why did I gain weight but they didn't is the million-dollar question.

[jturk]

So nice to see a critique of Taubes's carbohydrate hypothesis by someone who has taken the time to read and understand it, refrains from ad hominem attacks, doesn't claim that Taubes is stating that "thermodynamics do not apply", and doesn't once use the term "straw man".

It's about time. There are holes in Stephan's argument, as there are in Gary's, and neither will be turn out to be completely right in time, of course. But at least this moves the discussion forward in a productive way - folks are just too darn preoccupied with being "right". I'm looking forward to a response from Gary.

[CandylandCanary]

Well...

Yeah. I agree. But I agree with all those people who say that it's really quite complex when you REALLY look at how it works, with insulin and leptin and a billion (no exaggeration) other chemical interactions flying around.

But in the end? Rule of thumb for day to day life that's likely to lead to the most success?

A calorie is a calorie and calories in calories out.
With the corollaries of:
Fat does not make you fat, fat is just calorie dense and you can overeat a lot of extra calories if you don't watch fat portions.
Sugar, carbs, etc don't make you fat either, it's just very appetite-stimulating for most people. So, if you don't watch portions, it's also easy to eat a lot of carbs and therefore a lot more calories. In addition to be hungrier and therefore likely eating MORE carbs and more calories and so on.

But no, insulin doesn't make you fat. Extra calories make you fat.

Technically, you could make yourself fat eating only lettuce and carrot sticks. It would be HARD, but it's possible. It's ultimately just a hell of a lot easier to make yourself fat with cupcakes. So people do it more.

Addendum: I don't claim to know everything about nutrition or even be an expert.

[jturk]

CandylandCanary - I think you may be missing the point of this debate. Both Stephan and Gary would agree that consuming more energy than you expend will result in fat gain. Saying "extra calories make you fat" doesn't explain anything. The question is why some people consume more energy/calories than others, which is what the debate is about.