Carbs and inflammation page

[catherine p.]

Diet rich in slowly digested carbs reduces markers of inflammation in overweight and obese adults

'Bad Carbs' Not The Enemy, Professor Finds

ok now really confused!!!

[Alaska Ang]

Ok, so based on what the article says the comparison was between 28 days of eating highly refined high GI carbs and 28 days of low GI carbs. It makes sense that the lower GI carbs will impact less. But, it isnt a complete picture if you are want to apply it here. There is no comparison to eating based on primal/paleo principles.

[Raine]

I think Prof Glenn Gaesser was hired by the sugar and grain industry to conduct his "research". Dr cordain and his team have done research on this and the paleo diet and it goes against what this Prof is saying. It has been known for quite a while now that cancer feeds off glucose.

The huge amount of people coming down with gluten intolerance, IBS and people who are constantly on a high from any sugar they consume, is evidence in itself that these foods are harming us.

Dr Cordains study: Published Research Download PDF

The role of carbohydrate restriction in cancer: http://www.nutritionandmetabolism.co...-7075-8-75.pdf

[paleo-bunny]

I make my carbs (safe white rice and sweet potato) low GI by eating them with plenty of fat and protein.

When I used to eat unsafe carbs (as recommended in that article) in a similar fashion (wholegrain rice, whole corn, chickpeas, lentils, beans) I got a lot more inflammation. I wasn't eating much sugar, fruit or refined carbs before I went primal, and I wasn't eating so much fat as I am now.

Thus I've reduced inflammation essentially by eliminating harmful lectins, phytates and other anti-nutrients. I've only lowered my carb intake by about 30%.

The results of that first study may well be valid - but all they prove is that very unhealthy people get a bit less unhealthy and inflamed in the short term by simply switching from refined grains to wholegrains. In the long run, though, they are likely to gradually build up intolerances to the wholegrains which will drive their inflammation back up.

We can all do much better than that.

[fiercehunter]

The "real world" people are always trying to find something good about grains and carbs. They want to make eating carbs a feel-good experience. This is pretty mainstream actually. The culture generally doesn't understand how fat, paticularly saturated fat, lowers insulin, or what lectins are-- too complex for most people.

One of the articles says we can enjoy sandwiches because it's just calories. What it doesn't mention is that high GI foods have a negative effect on blood sugars which cause you to crave even more carbs and eat more. Also something the public doesn't want to hear.

Really these articles have to do with the general backlash against all that's been published against carbs since the late 90s. According to Gary Taubes researchers have known carbs are the main cause of obesity for over a 100 years.

[paleo-bunny]

The "real world" people are always trying to find something good about grains and carbs. They want to make eating carbs a feel-good experience. This is pretty mainstream actually. The culture generally doesn't understand how fat, paticularly saturated fat, lowers insulin, or what lectins are-- too complex for most people.

One of the articles says we can enjoy sandwiches because it's just calories. What it doesn't mention is that high GI foods have a negative effect on blood sugars which cause you to crave even more carbs and eat more. Also something the public doesn't want to hear.

Really these articles have to do with the general backlash against all that's been published against carbs since the late 90s. According to Gary Taubes researchers have known carbs are the main cause of obesity for over a 100 years.

True, although to be fair a sandwich can be fairly low GI if eaten with thinly sliced bread and a thick filling with plenty of protein and fat.

It's correct that many researchers have known that excess carbs eaten in high GI meals (carb binging) are the main cause of obesity, especially in the absence of significant exercise. I graduated in biochemistry from Oxford University in 1993. I remember the lecturers blaming sugar and fructose especially for diabetes and heart disease. One of them was Yudkin whose father's work was rubbished because the results of Ancel Key's studies showing that saturated fat was the major cause of heart disease were so widely believed.

It's perfectly possible to be obese and healthy. I managed it by eating low GI and low fructose. Even when my BMI was 34, my blood glucose and blood pressure were in the ideal range. OK, I was only obese for about 2.5 years. Obviously I prefer to be moderately overweight, very muscular and healthy and I'm heading back in that direction.

In contrast, some of my normal weight and underweight friends are pre-diabetic because they've achieved a lower weight via low fat diets, thus they're skinny fat. So yes too many carbs, not enough fat seems to be the key.

Ironically one source of weight gain for me was giving up gluten containing grains, because it cleared up my irritable bowel, which meant that a lot fewer calories were passing straight through me, and I didn't adjust my calorie intake downwards. I replaced these grains with whole corn and more legumes as at that point (about 5 years ago) as I still believed the myth that wholegrains were good for me.