Re: "Good Calories, Bad Calories" by Gary Taubes


Chris Wrote:
Under the conditions of the tests. Near the end of >Taubes' Berkeley
lecture he describes a metabolic ward test he would like >to see
carried out, which he says should confirm or refute the >alternative hypothesis he claims has yet never been >tested. He obviously thinks no such test has yet been >carried out. Do you disagree with that claim?

Reply:
Taubes is either unware of the contary studies or he's intentionally
ignoring them.
In any case this doesn't bode well for his thesis or credibility.

Regards
Randy

1.Effect of diet composition on the hyperinsulinemia of obesity. New
England J of Med 1971 Oct 7;285(15):827-31.
PMID 5570845

Discussion:
Women were on eucaloric diets to mantain weight on both high and low
carb diets. No difference in weight loss or gain on either diet.
In another experiment women were rotated on high and low carb 1500 cal
diets (cross over design) and weight loss was equivalent on both
diets.

2.Kinsell LW Calories do count
http://tinyurl.com/38kzx8

Discussion:
Diets ranged from 14% - 36% Protein, 12-83%fat,3-64%Carbs
All subjects rotated on each diet for 21 days.
No difference in weight found.



3. Energy intake required to maintain body weight is not affected by
wide variation in diet composition
Laboratory of Human Behavior and Metabolism, Rockefeller University,
New York, NY 10021.

Diets rich in fat may promote obesity by leading to a greater
deposition of adipose-tissue triglycerides than do isoenergetic diets
with less fat. This possibility was examined by a retrospective
analysis of the energy needs of 16 human subjects (13 adults, 3
children) fed liquid diets of precisely known composition with widely
varied fat content, for 15-56 d (33 +/- 2 d, mean +/- SE). Subjects
lived in a metabolic ward and received fluid formulas with different
fat and carbohydrate content, physical activity was kept constant, and
precise data were available on energy intake and daily body weight.
Isoenergetic formulas contained various percentages of carbohydrate as
cerelose (low, 15%; intermediate, 40% or 45%; high, 75%, 80%, or 85%),
a constant 15% of energy as protein (as milk protein), and the balance
of energy as fat (as corn oil). Even with extreme changes in the fat-
carbohydrate ratio (fat energy varied from 0% to 70% of total intake),
there was no detectable evidence of significant variation in energy
need as a function of percentage fat intake.

PMID: 1734671 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]



4.Similar weight loss with low- or high-carbohydrate diets
A Golay, AF Allaz, Y Morel, N de Tonnac, S Tankova and G Reaven
Department of Medicine, Geneva University Hospital, Switzerland.

The goal of this study was to evaluate the effect of diets that were
equally low in energy but widely different in relative amounts of fat
and carbohydrate on body weight during a 6-wk period of
hospitalization. Consequently, 43 adult, obese persons were randomly
assigned to receive diets containing 4.2 MJ/d (1000 kcal/d) composed
of either 32% protein, 15% carbohydrate, and 53% fat, or 29% protein,
45% carbohydrate, and 26% fat. There was no significant difference in
the amount of weight loss in response to diets containing either 15%
(8.9 +/- 0.6 kg) or 45% (7.5 +/- 0.5 kg) carbohydrate. Furthermore,
significant decreases in total body fat and waist-to-hip circumference
were seen in both groups, and the magnitude of the changes did not
vary as a function of diet composition. Fasting plasma glucose,
insulin, cholesterol, and triacylglycerol concentrations decreased
significantly in patients eating low-energy diets that contained 15%
carbohydrate, but neither plasma insulin nor triacylglycerol
concentrations fell significantly in response to the higher-
carbohydrate diet. The results of this study showed that it was energy
intake, not nutrient composition, that determined weight loss in
response to low-energy diets over a short time period.


5. Weight-loss with low or high carbohydrate diet?Golay A, Eigenheer
C, Morel Y, Kujawski P, Lehmann T, de Tonnac N.
Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital Geneva.

OBJECTIVE: With obesity being recognized as an important
cardiovascular risk factor, it is important to determine the optimal
hypocaloric diet for decreasing that risk. The goal of this study was
to compare the effects of two hypocaloric diets of similar caloric
value, but differing in carbohydrate content (25% and 45%). SUBJECTS:
Sixty-eight out-patients were followed for 12 w. DESIGN: The patients
were assigned to one of two groups that received either a low (25%
CHO, n = 31) or a high (45% CHO, n = 37) carbohydrate hypocaloric diet
(5.0 MJ/d, 1200 Kcal/d). RESULTS: After 12 w, the mean weight loss was
similar and did not differ significantly between the two groups: 10.2
+/- 0.7 kg (25% CHO) and 8.6 +/- 0.8 kg (45% CHO). Furthermore, loss
of adipose tissue was similar, 8.1 +/- 0.5 kg (25% CHO) and 7.1 +/-
0.7 kg (45% CHO). Despite a high protein intake (1.4 g/kg/ideal body
weight) there was loss of lean body mass: 2.2 +/- 0.4 kg (25% CHO) and
1.4 +/- 0.3 kg (45% CHO). The waist/hip ratio diminished significantly
(P < 0.001) and identically in both groups. The fasting blood glucose
(even though normal, along with cholesterol and triglyceride
concentrations, were significantly decreased after weight loss. The
fasting blood insulin which was mildly elevated before weight loss
decreased more markedly with the 25% CHO diet compared to the 45% CHO
diet (P < 0.003). The glucose/insulin ratio improved significantly (P
< 0.05) after weight loss with both diets (0.17 +/- 0.04 mmol/mU (25%
CHO) vs 0.10 +/- 0.03 mmol/mU (45% CHO). CONCLUSIONS: Neither diet
offered a significant advantage when comparing weight loss or other,
metabolic parameters over a 12 w period. However, considering the
greater improvement of fasting blood insulin, the glucose/insulin
ratio and blood triglyceride, the low carbohydrate diet (25%) could be
more favourable in the long-term. The improvement of fasting blood
insulin could be explained by the differences in monounsaturated fat
composition in the low carbohydrate diet.

PMID: 8968851 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]


6.Composition of Weight Lost
during Short-Term Weight Reduction
METABOLIC RESPONSES OF OBESE SUBJECTS TO
STARVATION AND LOW-CALORIE KETOGENIC
AND NONKETOGENIC DIETS
MEI-UIH YANM. and THEODOwE B. VAN ITALLIE

Discussion:
This metabolic ward study compared low calorie keto vs low iso low
calorie diet and found the keto diet has LESS fat loss and more muscle
loss.

Regards
Randy

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