Low-Fat, Low-Carb, Low-Glycemic Diets: Studies Are Leaning One Way
I've been nixing the notion that high-fat diets cause heart disease for years (a condition that all of us must be concerned about, but is a special worry for diabetics and pre-diabetics), despite the claims of the American Diabetes Association (ADA), the American Heart Association, and mainstream medicine.
Recently, two major studies have officially refuted this long-held, wrong-headed belief. The research found that consuming high-fat, low-carb foods produce significantly better effects on blood sugar and lipid profiles, compared to low-fat diets.
Swedish Researchers Test Low-Fat Vs. Low-Carb Diets
A study conducted in Sweden divided Type 2 diabetics into two groups, assigning one group to eat the low-fat diet recommended by the ADA and AHA, comprised of 60% carbohydrates, 20% fat, and 20% protein. The other group consumed a diet in which 50% of the calories came from fat, 30% from protein, and just 20% from carbohydrates. Both groups maintained these diets for a full year.
Both groups lost the same amount of weight -- nearly 9 pounds, on average. But when the researchers examined the diets' effect on blood sugar and lipids, they discovered an unexpected surprise…
Low-Carb Lowers Blood Sugar
The high-fat group experienced a 10% drop in blood sugar levels, while the low-fat group received no such benefit.
A similar study performed at the Obesity Prevention Center of Children's Hospital in Boston went even further. It compared the low-fat diet and the low-carb diet with a low-glycemic index (low-GI) diet. The results showed that the low-GI diet was superior in four important categories:
· It lowered blood sugar levels
· It reduced oxidative stress and inflammation
· It succeeded in suppressing hunger
· It enhanced "well-being, mental and physical performance"
Doctors Are Wrong About Low-Fat Benefits
The low-fat diet, which included whole grain foods and a good variety of fruits and vegetables (a step in the right direction), but with 60% of calories coming from all carbs -- and merely 20% coming from fat (including beneficial fats), and 20% from protein, actually showed no positive benefits on blood sugar and lipids.
Medical spokespeople from the ADA and AHA have been pushing the American public to consume a low-fat diet for more than 50 years, despite previous evidence that it slows the body's metabolism, (resulting in less energy and lethargy), while it increases insulin resistance and hunger. Paradoxically, the low-fat diet actually worsens lipid (blood fat) levels as the body reacts to the lower level of dietary fat by producing more cholesterol and triglycerides. Plus, by practically eliminating an entire class of necessary foods (dietary fat), the diet is difficult to maintain.
What about the low-carb diet? Shouldn't that be better than the low-fat, at least? It seemed to be -- although just slightly.
Like the Atkins diet, the low-carb diet reduces carb consumption to 10% -- allowing almost no whole grains or fiber-rich foods -- with 60% of calories coming from fat and 30% from protein.
On this diet the metabolism does seem to stabilize, but in the study it failed to provide any other benefits. In fact, the super-low level of all carbohydrates, including low-glycemic carbs, raised the cortisol level, which raises blood glucose levels and can lead to insulin resistance, inflammation, and heart disease.
Why Doctors Stubbornly Resist The Facts
Despite these and previous findings, conventional medicine stubbornly believes that the low-fat is the most healthful. How can this be?
Psychologists refer to the phenomenon of clinging to old beliefs in the face of new evidence as "cognitive dissonance." This is the main reason why the practice of medicine trails behind the discoveries of medical science.
I urge you not to make the same mistake that doctors and the medical community at large are making when it comes to your diet.
For guidance on the best foods to eat to control your blood sugar and to reverse Type 2, learn more at my diabetes website.
