Some of the very best high-quality low-carb products aren't made and manufactured in the United States. Unfortunately, the big low-carb "craze" that swept across America in the early part of this decade with all their low-carb impostor products ruined the reputation of some truly great companies who made some remarkable foods for your healthy low-carb lifestyle. Meanwhile, low-carb companies are thriving with some rather amazing products overseas.
The product is called CiaoCarb Cookies and they are very low-carb, protein-packed morsels of healthy goodness that taste absolutely fabulous! I don't know if you've ever tried any other "low-carb" cookies before, but most are absolutely disgusting, fall apart and crumble when you try to hold them, and leave you wondering if you'll ever get to enjoy this sweet treat again. After trying these CiaoCarb Cookies for myself, I can tell you cookies are back and I'm hooked!
With a full 10g of protein in each cookie packaged in pairs, you can use these as a perfect pre-workout power-up snack, breakfast replacement, or anytime you want a little something healthy and delicious to eat. Best of all, the net carbs are so negligible (less than a third of a net carbohydrate in each cookie!) that it's virtually ZERO carbs!
Of course, these CiaoCarb Cookies are sugar-free which makes them PERFECT for diabetics and look and taste like a crunchy gourmet cookie you would purchase in Italy. Available in Almond, Chocolate, Coconut, Coffee, Lemon, and Orange (my personal favorite!) flavors, these cookies have just 95 calories each and are sweetened with a blend of maltitol, Splenda, and ACE-K. Although I'm not usually a fan of maltitol in low-carb products, I was pleasantly surprised that these did not bother me like some other products do. With less maltitol, there was little to no reaction. AWESOME!!!
This is very likely gonna be CarbSmart's 2008 breakout product of the year, so order your own stash of CiaoCarb Cookies today. They are available EXCLUSIVELY at CarbSmart right now, so go ahead and give them a try. You will no doubt LOVE these cookies as much as I do and CarbSmart will stand behind their quality 100%. If you don't like 'em, then CarbSmart will take care of you. But you WILL eat these up!
I'd love to hear your feedback about these innovative low-carb cookies directly from Italy, so try 'em and lemme know what you think! ENJOY! :D
Research Showing There's No Debate About The Fate Of Low-Carb In 2008
I've become convinced that one of the greatest assets that those of us who believe in the power of livin' la vida low-carb possess is the ever-growing litany of respectable published research that continues to pour in at breakneck speed. A young researcher from the University of Pennsylvania recently confirmed that there is "strong interest" in low-carb diets and how they relate to treating obesity and disease. This has me very excited about the future of the low-carb lifestyle because we're just getting started.
Now that the new year is here, there will be even more positive studies regarding livin' la vida low-carb to be released. All this encouraging research shows us there's no debate about the fate of low-carb in 2008. Things are looking up--WAY UP!--and we should be holding our heads high as the science finally begins catching up with the experiences those of us who have been eating this way already know.
Today I have four newly-released published studies that will encourage you as you continue to live the low-carb life. It's an amazing journey that is so much deeper and more meaningful than simple weight loss. It's about living healthier than you ever thought possible while enjoying amazing high-fat, low-carb foods that are delicious, nutritious, and will keep you satisfied. What other "diet" plan can you say THAT about? Anyone? :)
Here are those new studies for you to add to your arsenal:
Looking at female athletes, the researchers wanted to see if the amount of dietary fat intake played a role in the occurrence of foot and knee injuries sustained during training and competition. They observed 86 female runners who ran at least 20 miles a week and asked them to keep a food log for a period of one year. The study participants were asked to report any injuries they sustain over that period of time for the researchers to analyze their food intake to see if there was a contributing factor.
The results were astonishing! Those female runners who were injured were more likely to be consuming "significantly lower intakes of total fat" and calories from fat compared with the study participants who did not sustain an injury. In fact, the researchers conducted a logistic regression analysis to predict with 64 percent certainty which of the female athletes would be injured based on their dietary fat intake.
MY CONCLUSION: If a female runner wants to reduce her risk of an injury, then the best course of action is to EAT MORE FAT! Betcha didn't see that one coming!
What seems like an encouraging bit of research about a low-carb diet for controlling Type 2 diabetes over a one-year controlled study is actually anything but. All you need to do is read Regina Wilshire's take at the "Weight Of The Evidence" blog to realize this study was bogus from the start. Why? Because their idea of a "low-carb" diet is putting the study participants on (hold on to your hat) NEARLY 200 grams of carbs a day! HOLY CRAP! Are they TRYING to kill these people?!
It should come as no surprise that all the major health indicators got WORSE on this diet, including weight gain, HbA1c increases, HDL "good" cholesterol decline, sharp increases in triglycerides--all tell-tale signs that these people did NOT follow the dictates of the low-carb lifestyle. Perhaps the researchers would do themselves a lot of good if they performed this same study using a very low-carb ketogenic diet consisting of 10g carbohydrates for comparison purposes. The results of this study would be quite stark!
MY CONCLUSION: Just because research shows some supposed positive aspect of livin' la vida low-carb in a twisted interpretation of the data doesn't mean it should be celebrated. Demand better and more accurate studies to compare the REAL low-carb with the fake 200g carbohydrates one!
Like that last study, this one was also published in the same journal. But unlike the previous one, this is a legitimate body of research that bears a closer look. The lead researcher is Dr. Alex Johnstone from the Rowett Research Institute who I previously blogged about her study of low-carb diets on brain health. This time she wanted to know if changing the amount of protein and carbs in the diet would impact hunger for the study participants. Specifically, is being in a state of ketosis brought on by a high-protein, low-carb ketogenic diet more satiating and effective for weight loss than a high-protein, moderate-carb nonketogenic diet? Interesting study, huh?
She carefully observed 17 obese men over a four-week period as part of a residential trial and carefully measured out the specific food content for each of the study participants. Each of them were provided 2 high-protein diets (consisting of 30 percent of total calories) along with either a low-carb diet (consisting of 4 percent of total calories like the Atkins diet) or a moderate-carb diet (consisting of 35 percent of total carbohydrates a la The Zone). She measured their body weight daily along with ketosis. Computer analysis also measured hunger.
The results? Hunger was lower and weight loss was "significantly greater" with the low-carb diet compared with the moderate-carb diet. This all happened while the low-carb participants remained in ketosis and actually ate less food for the duration of the study. It was further proof that ketosis is indeed safe and extremely effective for both satiation and losing weight. Of course, we knew that already.
MY CONCLUSION: If you're looking for a diet composition where you are never hungry, will lose a whole lotta weight, and will feel better than you ever thought possible, then you should turn to a high-fat, moderate protein, low-carb ketogenic diet. Ketosis is the key. Nuff said!
Although the American Diabetes Association (ADA) recently endorsed low-carb as equally effective for diabetics to use as part of their weight management program, similar positions have not been taken by other health advocacy groups like the American Medical Association (AMA) and the American Heart Association (AHA) for example. But there hasn't been as much published research on low-carb weight loss for Type 2 diabetics--until now!
Researchers from the Oxford, England-based Center for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism wanted to compare the effects of a low-carb diet on the body weight, HbA1c levels, ketones and cholesterol levels in both diabetics and non-diabetics to see if there would be a difference over a three-month period. A total of 13 Type 2 diabetics controlling their disease with disease or metformin as well as 13 non-diabetics were placed on either a low-carb diet (with 40g or less carbohydrates daily) or a "healthy-eating diet" as prescribed by the ADA-equivalent group in the UK (basically a moderate-to-high-carb, low-fat diet).
The low-carb study participants, both diabetic and non-diabetic, experienced "greater" weight loss with no changes in HbA1c, ketone or lipid levels. While I'm encouraged by the weight change that occurred, I'm surprised there were not improvements in the HbA1c and lipid levels at all on those who followed low-carb. But it's still good new for the low-carb lifestyle.
MY CONCLUSION: Whether you have diabetes or not, livin' la vida low-carb is an "equally effective" way to lose weight and get healthy. Are you hearing this AMA and AHA as well as the low-fat bureaucrats in the FDA and USDA? If low-carb and low-fat are equal, then why not recommend them side-by-side as the ADA began doing this year, hmmmm?
Keep reading the "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" blog throughout 2008 as we'll continue to share with you the latest from the research community. If you see any studies about livin' la vida low-carb that catch your eye and you want to bring them to my attention, then please e-mail me a link to the study or article about it anytime at livinlowcarbman@charter.net.
Antonia Trichopoulou found that higher protein leads to increased death
Oh no! I guess all of us low-carbers need to make sure our will is written because it looks like we're all headed for a one-way ticket to the cemetary. Well, that's what some are claiming after reading this European Journal of Clinical Nutrition study about mortality rates of people on a high-protein, low-carb diet.
Lead researcher Antonia Trichopoulou from the Department of Hygiene and Epidemiology in the School of Medicine at the University of Athens in Athens, Greece wanted to see what the mortality rates of people who stay on a high-protein, low-carb diet over the long-term.
Using the Greek population to comprise her pool of study participants, Trichopoulou observed the diet of 22,944 healthy adults and assessed their diet by way of a questionnaire. The researchers paid especially close attention to the protein and carbohydrate levels of the people in the study and more specifically their relationship to the rate of death among specific categories of people.
What she found was that 455 deaths happened over the 10-year period which Trichopoulou contributed to "high values of the additive low carbohydrate-high protein" diet. She also added that the study participants who ate such a diet saw more cardiovascular and cancer deaths than those who ate a high-carb diet.
Trichopoulou's grim conclusion? She said, "Prolonged consumption of diets low in carbohydrates and high in protein is associated with an increase in total mortality."
Aw man! I was just getting used to eating this way and now this researcher has to come along and ruin my day like this! Actually, while it is certainly an interesting study to look at, I'm not buying it. Whenever you leave the study data in the hands of the participants as they did in this study, you are opening yourself up for suspicious results.
But, despite my doubts about the veracity of the study results, you and I were challenged by a board certified dietitian named Dr. Steven Acocella to refute it under the assumption that it is a legitimate study. Before I share with you his challenge, I think you need to know a little more about this gentleman first.
As you can see from this DiseaseProof.com article featuring Dr. Acocella, he's no fan of the late great Dr. Robert C. Atkins and his low-carb, high-protein diet. As a fellow colleague of low-fat vegetarian diet advocate Dr. Joel Furhman, we can presume he too believes meat should not be a major part of a healthy diet. Thus, a study like this one from Greece seems to further his position.
So, here's his challenge to people who are livin' la vida low-carb:
Dear Jimmy and blog members -
I know that the low-carb approach focuses caloric intake on high-fat but we all agree by default this diet style is also low-carb and high in protein, as fatty foods are often derived from high-protein foods. I know I'm in the lion's den here but Jimmy often posts opposing view and allows hearty debate. My post will hopefully inspire such discourse.
I will not editorialize on the study, but simply listen to you and your reader’s comments. I will say that there's no reason that we need to dispute the efficacy of the study itself. Let's go from the position that the study is not flawed. Let's discuss the science and findings.
The conclusions of the authors are reproducible and consistent. What do you all think? If you do post this study I applaud your willingness to explore the science and not ignore nor dismiss it.
I am keen on hearing the comments.
Dr. Steven Acocella Board Certified Dietitian Doctor of Chiropractic Medicine Master of Science Human Nutrition Fellow - American College of Lifestyle Medicine Diplomate - American Clinical Board of Nutrition
THANK YOU for the challenge, Dr. Acocella! I'm more than happy to let my intelligent audience of readers share with you their collective wisdom about carbohydrate restriction. Debate of ideas is what I'm all about and I appreciate your willingness to listen.
Okay, if you are on a high-protein, low-carb diet and STILL living, please let us know by leaving a comment. LOL! Just kidding, but I think it makes a point.
The idea that you are killing yourself eating this way is absolutely absurd, study or no study. I don't need a study to tell me this because I'm living it, Dr. Acocella. And so are millions more to the betterment of their health and weight.
Also, you can e-mail Antonia Trichopoulou about her study at antonia@nut.uoa.gr.
Hercules the cat got his 15 minutes of fame for his unusual size
Have you heard about this cat named Hercules who is most well-known for being...um, er, uh, just a wee bit chunky. Oh forget it, this cat is fat, there's just no beating around the bush about it. He was immortalized in this The Oregonian column which told the story about how this flabby feline became a worldwide sensation.
If you haven't heard the story, here's the long and short of it:
Hercules was being watched by a kitty sitter while his owner who has cystic fibrosis was having a double-lung transplant. But somehow the cat ran away and was presumed to be dead. Last month, he was found rummaging around in the garage of an Oregon family's home and stuck in the doggie door frame. The homeowner contacted the Oregon Humane Society who then let local reporters know about the discovery of this strangely large cat.
It didn't take long for the story to take off not only locally, but then around the world when the video hit the popular web site YouTube. As of right now, this video of Hercules (who they refer to as Goliath in the video before the owner claimed him) has been seen by nearly a half million people and growing.
See the famous "Fat Cat" video for yourself:
When Hercules' owner saw his beloved feline friend on television one night while watching the news, he was able to get his cat back again. But now Hercules is a cult hero who is still enjoying his 15 minutes of fame. Look for him to appear in Martha Stewart Living magazine article on how to help your pet lose weight very soon. There's even talk of having Hercule become a pitchcat for high-protein cat food!
Actually, it's not a bad idea to put him on a low-carb diet as I previously blogged about. Although there are some veterinarians who are opposed to livin' la vida low-carb for fat cats (in fact, my own vet is!), one of my astute readers explained quite succinctly in a recent e-mail that a low-carb diet is PERFECT since "almost every cat I see today is overweight."
Here's what he wrote:
Eating small prey, cats in nature consume about 5% of calories from carbs. Some internal organs, like the liver, contain carbs. The other main source is the prey's stomach contents (which not all cats even eat). Cats are very purposefully designed to eat a low-carb diet. They even lack some of the enzymes in their digestive systems for dealing with starches and sugars. They can and do, however, get fat on carbs.
Cats are what are called obligate carnivores--humans and dogs are omnivores, and can survive on a variety of foods, but cats must eat raw meat. They cannot synthesize certain substances that omnivores and herbivores can make for themselves. Cats need to eat the flesh of a creature that has already synthesized them.
One of the most important is taurine, which is destroyed by heat and is not present in even slightly cooked food. Cats will go blind and develop heart problems without it. You will see taurine as an additive in all cat food products--it must be put back in after cooking, and heating a cat's food will destroy it again. Like with human food, the manufacturers remove vital nutrients in processing and then make an attempt to artificially replace the ones they are aware of.
Cats are extremely good at regulating their own food intake, and will not normally overeat, as long as they can satisfy their craving for fat and protein. Unfortunately, a cat fed typical dry cat food is eating meat-flavored cereal, and must eat a huge quantity of carbs in order to get the protein and fat it craves--usually 60% or more (sometimes much more) of the calories in cat food is in the form of carbs.
In my opinion, even the premium, high-priced dry cat foods are still crap--they may have better quality ingredients, but they're still just grain-based crackers. Some even blatantly advertise the grain content--'chicken and rice' is common, for instance. Try to get a cat to eat rice. Note that the corporate parents of most pet food companies are grain processors.
Kibble is sprayed with a tasty coating that appeals to a cat's sense of smell, not unlike the sugar frosting on breakfast cereal. As an interesting experiment, scrape the outer layer off and see a cat's reaction.
At least some of the protein content listed on a cat food package is from corn or other grain, and is not actually available to the cat, whose short digestive tract is designed for processing meat. This is especially true of the popular, cheaper cat food brands.
Humans can't directly digest this protein either, but our longer intestines give beneficial bacteria time to break it down for us. This means that cats must eat still more dry food, and even more carbs, to satisfy their need for protein. The high percentage of cats that become diabetic today should come as no surprise.
What is cruel is that, like us, cats now have 'low fat' foods designed for weight loss. This is even more insane for a cat than for us.
Another issue is that cats are desert animals--they are descended from wild ancestors living in north Africa, first kept as pets by the ancient Egyptians. (Among other details, this is why they like warm temperatures, why the more sand-like their cat litter is, the more they like it, and why they have extremely concentrated urine, to conserve moisture.) In nature, cats get almost all of their moisture from the prey they eat, and drink very little water.
Cats fed dry food are forced to drink a lot, but they don't have a well-developed thirst mechanism, and don't drink nearly enough to compensate. This makes their urine even more concentrated than it already is, and this is believed by some to be the reason for the prevalence of urinary problems in older cats. On the other hand, it is a bad idea to add water to dry kibble, because of the rapid growth of bacteria this will encourage.
This link (a PDF file) is an article from the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association (JAVMA) that gives a lot more detail. Here is another good article.
Many vets are convinced that dry food is superior to a natural diet, and say that crunching on dry kibble cleans a cat's teeth (in spite of the fact that cats don't have a digestive enzyme in their saliva to break down starch, which leaves more food for bacteria on the teeth).
When I first took my kitten to the vet, I came home with a bag of flyers and brochures and cat health booklets produced by the commercial pet food manufacturers. At the time I thought this was a nice and helpful thing, until I started to do my own research about feline nutrition.
Sorry, didn't mean to make this into a long rant, but I thought you'd find it interesting.
There is a movement among some cat and dog owners to feed a more natural diet--try Googling BARF (Biologically Appropriate Raw Food). Some groups use the same acronym for 'Bones And Raw Food.'
WOW, that's some pretty AWESOME and educational information for pet owners to use. Hercules, are you paying attention to this, buddy?! It's time you start livin' la vida low-carb, ya fat cat! As it stands right now, he is down to 19 1/2 pounds which is HUGE. I was surprised to find out last night that my oldest cat Muffin now weighs 17 pounds. EEEEEK! She and Hercules would make a beefy couple indeed. :)
As the owner of four cats, I am always trying to make sure they are getting adequate exercise and good nutrition. It's a neverending battle, but I will be taking the advice provided by my reader today to maximize the opportunities to have them eat a more natural diet. Do you have any success with your dogs or cats feeding them a low-carb diet? It makes total sense and yet the major pet food companies flood their products with carbohydate-based fillers. UGH!
Any thoughts about the low-carb lifestyle for your pet?
Dr. Wayne Campbell reveals a surprising weight loss power food--PORK!
It seems like we are seeing lots of research coming out all the time regarding the health and weight benefits of eating meat because of the healthy levels of protein it provides (some examples of these studies can be found here, here, and here). These exciting new scientific foundations for protein consumption are revealing what many of us who are livin' la vida low-carb have already discovered--protein and fat in animal-based foods are playing a major role in keeping hunger satisfied while aiding in permanent weight loss. It's about time, right?
This PR Newswire column today shares about another one of these kind of studies on the benefits of protein, this time zeroing in specifically on pork meat. However, there is one specific certain aspect of this research that is a bit disconcerting to me which I will address in a moment.
Lead researcher Dr. Wayne W. Campbell, associate professor of Foods And Nutrition in Purdue University's Laboratory for Integrative Research in Nutrition, Fitness and Aging, and his fellow researchers observed 46 overweight and obese women between the ages of 28 to 80 with a BMI of 26-37 over a period of 12 weeks. What they wanted to know was the impact of dietary protein on weight loss, appetite, mood, as well as cardiovascular and kidney health.
Each of the study participants were placed on one of two specific low-calorie diets:
NORMAL-PROTEIN (NP) GROUP--A 750-calorie diet with 18% protein HIGH-PROTEIN (HP) GROUP--A 750-calorie diet with 30% protein
Both of these groups were also split into pre-obese and obese subcategories according to their BMI. The HP group was provided with 6 ounces of lean pork on average daily as part of their high-protein consumption.
At the end of the study, all of the participants involved had lost weight, fat mass, and lean body mass. But the lean body mass losses were less in the HP group than the NP group. In fact, the pre-obese HP group lost less lean body mass (3.3 pounds) than the obese NP group (6.2 pounds).
This lines up with previous research from Dr. Donald Layman and Anssi Manninen who both found that muscle mass is preserved on a high-protein, low-carb diet. Nothing is said about the carbohydrate or fat content of the diet Dr. Campbell put these study participants on, but we can infer from the lean pork that it was lower in fat and higher in carbs.
Additionally, the HP group experienced greater satiety than the NP group (something research has shown protein to provide), thus the perceived pleasure of the diet was increased with the HP group and decreased with the NP group. Finally, blood pressure and cholesterol levels improved for all groups while kidney function had no significant change, regardless of the protein consumption. These findings were important since people who oppose high-protein diets worry about damage to the kidneys and heart (although this recent study confirmed there are no heart health risks to a high-protein, low-carb diet).
The results of this study were published in this week's issue of the scientific journal Obesity.
Dr. Campbell said the presence of protein from the lean pork consumed by the HP group made the difference in weight loss and lean muscle mass preservation.
"After 12 weeks, our study found that the group of women who followed a reduced-calorie eating plan while consuming a higher level of protein was more effective in maintaining lean body mass during weight loss compared to those who consumed the same amount of calories with less protein," he said.
Maintaining muscle mass helps burn more calories which is crucial in bringing about faster weight loss and eventual weight control, Dr. Campbell added. Plus, hunger was a non-factor among the study participants who ate higher amounts of protein which led that group to feel more confident and energized as they went through their diet.
"The women on the higher protein diet rated themselves more positively in terms of overall mood and feelings of pleasure during dieting which could help dieters stay true to their weight loss plans longer," the researchers contended.
Interestingly, this was the first such study on high-protein diets on weight loss where pork was the primary source of the protein. While that is significant primarily as a marketing tool for the National Pork Board, who commissioned and funded this study, I believe they missed an excellent opportunity to educate and discuss the health benefits of consuming the fatty cuts of pork as part of a healthy diet, too.
But that's not what they did with their study which is a real shame. Trying to appease the low-fat crowd for whatever reason, the marketing people representing the pork industry highlighted the six cuts of pork that fall within the USDA's definition of the word "lean" for having less than 10g fat. Why hide and be ashamed of your best cuts of meat, hmmm? That's just selling yourself short and a great disservice to the public about the amazingly healthy products you have to offer them.
I'd love for Dr. Campbell and his researchers to do this exact same study again except this time make the HP group a high-fat and low-carb diet group as well--maybe a 40-50-10 diet ratio of protein-fat-carbohydrates. I would bet they would see a MUCH more pronounced difference in weight loss and lean muscle mass preservation among this HPHFLC group than any other diet comparison. How about it, Dr. Campbell? Are you and the pork people up to testing my theory?
"The Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore" Episode 23 [12:10m]: Play in Popup | Download
Continuing on with the "Fact-Filled February" in today's Episode 23, I highlight TWO research studies that came out recently about the impact of a high-protein, low-carb diet on muscle mass. Both of these studies were published in highly-respected journals and share the truth about this controversial subject.
Tell me what you think about these studies by commenting in the show notes section of Episode 23 or by calling our listener comment line at (206) 203-4192. Nothing would please me more than to hear from YOU!
Have you heard the alarmist "warning" to avoid low-carb diets if you are wanting to build muscle? Are you worried some of your weight loss while livin' la vida low-carb is actually muscle? Get the lowdown straight from the researchers who tested it for themselves and concluded muscle mass is PROTECTED. You can react to these studies and share your experience following a low-carb program while exercising.
Keep listening to "The Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore" podcast every Monday and Thursday this month for more "Fact-Filled February" episodes about the latest research. THANKS as always for your listenership at my podcast and readership at my blog. Questions or comments about the show? Contact me anytime at livinlowcarbman@charter.net.
Dr. Eric Dewailly says a high-protein, high-fat Inuit diet is "healthiest"
This Vancouver Sun column about an ongoing study presented last month at a Canadian research forum is going to turn conventional wisdom on its head yet again about what kind of diet is truly protective against heart disease and cancer. And guess what? It ain't the failed low-fat diet either!
Lead researcher Dr. Eric Dewailly, professor of Social and Preventive Medicine at Laval University, and his colleagues observed the health of nearly 1,000 Inuit living in the northern section of Quebec where the diet consists primarily of wild game and very little carbohydrates. What the researchers found was truly remarkable in terms of comparing this decidedly low-carb way of eating to what most people consider a "healthy" diet.
Despite the fact that the Inuit people ate a rather high-protein, high-fat diet, Dr. Dewailly said this kind of nutritional approach actually PROTECTS against both heart disease and cancer. Did you hear that? Here is a scientific researcher extolling the virtues of consuming meat as a hunter-gatherer by stating the fact that it has been found to be an extremely healthy way to eat.
"The traditional Inuit diet is fats and proteins, no sugar at all," Dr. Dewailly explained. "It is probably one of the healthiest diets you can have. The human body is built for that."
WHOA, did he just say that the low-carb lifestyle that consists of fat and protein with "no sugar at all" is the "healthiest" diet?! Yep, he sure did and that's not just his opinion either. He's backing it up with scientific proof that deserves to be front-page health news around the world. It coincides with studies like this one that clearly show a high-fat, low-carb diet is one of the best diets you could ever go on to protect against heart disease.
But there's been scant mention of Dr. Dewailly's study anywhere which is not surprising since most of the media and the so-called health "experts" don't EVER want to acknowledge an increase in fat and protein combined with a low-carb diet is actually good for you. If they let that cat out of the bag, then their little agenda to suppress the truth about what constitutes living healthy would have to stop. They'll keep putting off the inevitable for as long as they can get away with it.
But the evidence is piling up and this research doesn't lie.
"The study shows that [high-protein, high-fat, low-carb diets] still have huge benefit and protection," Dewailly added.
Additionally, Dr. Dewailly argues that it's the consumption of healthy portions of high-protein, high-fat meat that keeps the hearts of the Inuit people as healthy as a horse. This sorta makes events like the PETA-sponsored Meatout irrelevant, doesn't it? I wonder what the radical vegans think about this, hmmm?
This research was presented at the annual scientific meeting of ArcticNet in mid-December 2006.
The Inuit diet has long been the evidence that proves livin' la vida low-carb is indeed a sustainable way of eating over the long term since it promotes the consumption of wild game and fish while openly shunning such modern nutritional garbage as high-carb, sugary junk foods and snacks. Unfortunately, though, these new modern foods to the Inuit people are tempting younger generations of Inuits to consume them which is wreaking havoc on their health.
Here are some facts about the average Inuit teenager:
- Consumes 1 liter of sugary soda daily - Eats three times as many trans fats as European teens
This has led to some rather disturbing health statistics:
- A 50 percent increase in obesity since 1992 - Over one-fourth of Inuit population is obese, primarily men - Hypertension afflicts 14.5 percent, more than doubling since 1992
But these changes in health haven't just taken a toll physically, but also on the mental health of the Inuit people. Over one-fifth of study participants admitted they attempted to commit suicide, including 6.7 percent in the previous 12 months before the study. Add to that the disturbing news that one-fourth of Inuit youth have used cocaine sometime in the previous year. The culture shock of modern life is what many experts blame on these startling findings.
There is hope for the Inuit population in Canada--return to native diet and normality will come back quickly. Eating the kind of low-carb, high-fat diet that they have traditionally consumed has actually been found to improve mental health as well as maintain normal weight and health indicators. The Inuit people should reject the cultural influences on their way of life from the South and forge their tried and true high-protein, high-fat diet back among their population.
We can only hope that the Inuit people will be able to start positively influencing our culture with the low-carb message soon to show Americans what we need to do to reduce obesity and disease rates. If not, then our nation's rising healthcare costs and obesity-related expenses could very well bring us crumbling to the ground in just a matter of years. The saddest part is that this is all preventable if we just start heeding the lessons learned in other cultures, like the Inuit people.
You can e-mail Dr. Eric Dewailly about his study on the Inuit population in Canada at eric.dewailly@inspq.qc.ca.
Layman: Low-Carb Diets Need Protein For Maximum Health Benefits
Dr. Layman's research focuses on the vital role of protein in the diet
Another one of America's best and brightest researchers in the field of low-carb research is nutrition professor Dr. Donald K. Layman. His work on the low-carbohydrate nutritional approach that you will hear about in my interview with him today is making a clear difference in the way people view diet and nutrition well into the future just as Dr. Eric Westman, Dr. Jeff Volek, and Dr. Richard Feinman already are as well, just to name a few.
Dr. Layman was kind enough to share a few moments with us today talking about his research on the low-carb approach as it relates to exercise and protein consumption. Prepare to be amazed by all the positive research that just keeps coming out about this miraculous way of eating.
1. Appearing at the "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" blog today is yet another one of the behind-the-scenes people regarding the science behind low-carbohydrate diets. His name is Dr. Donald Layman from The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Dr. Layman, we are privileged and honored to have you with us today. Your studies into this incredible dietary approach that has helped so many people lose weight and get healthy is indeed fascinating. How and why did you become so interested in nutritional science?
My interest in nutrition has always focused on muscle development and physical activity. I have studied growth, sports nutrition and muscle wasting during starvation and malnutrition. It has been this work with skeletal muscle that got me interested in the optimum ratios of dietary protein and carbohydrates for life long health. Skeletal muscle needs protein to stay healthy.
2. It's probably not very glamorous doing studies about low-carb. Share with my readers just a little of what your daily work specifically entails.
I guess you’re correct that it’s not very glamorous, but I really enjoy the process of research. I enjoy the search for new ideas and I enjoy training students. My job description says that I spend 50% of my time on research and 50% on teaching.
I think what would surprise your readers is how long it takes to do good research. Even a relatively small study can take 3-4 years from initial concept and planning, through writing proposals for research funding, training research staff, conducting the experiments, frequently repeating experiments to prove reliability, evaluating data, preparing research papers and finally publishing the results. Good research takes a lot of time and often appears to move very slowly.
3. The primary focus of your research is on how changes in diet and exercise can help prevent the onset of health problems such as obesity, Type 2 diabetes, and metabolic syndrome, aka Syndrome X. Preventable disease is a growing problem not only in the United States but around the world now. Why do think people are so unwilling to make the necessary changes with what they eat and how much physical activity they get to keep themselves healthy? Who and/or what is to blame for these problems getting worse and worse?
I think there are lots of reasons people don’t (or can’t) change including time, knowledge, environment and motivation. The question about blame sounds too much like media hype. Why does someone have to be blamed?
As a society we now live longer healthier lives than any time in history. We have modern conveniences that save us time and effort and we have a wonderful food supply that provides us virtually any type of food at any time or during any season. Frankly, we are still learning how to handle our success.
We really do not know what diet is best for life spans that routinely reach into the 80’s and 90’s. But with that said, there is simply no question that we eat too much and exercise too little.
4. Your field of research has been focused on the role of exercise in preserving lean body mass, energy expenditure and maintaining weight. We often hear critics of the low-carb lifestyle talk about how you can't exercise on a low-carb program without "carb-loading." Is this true? If not, then please explain for us how the body functions and fuels itself during a workout for someone on a low-carb diet.
Carb-loading is definitely not required for exercise. Our muscles use two primary fuels, fats (or fatty acids) and carbs, specificially glucose. Think about exercise as a continuum from very low-intensity activity such as walking up to extreme- intensity exercise such as a world class 100-meter sprinter.
With very low-intensity walking the muscles should be using almost 100% fatty acids as the fuel, while the elite sprinter will be almost 100% glucose. Without carbs the sprinter will finish last, but without glucose the walker will simply burn more fats.
So for world class sprinters or marathon runners, carbs are an important fuel, but for the rest of us trying to maintain a healthy adult life, carbs do little more than prevent us from burning fats.
5. In fact, your research study published in the August 2005 issue of The Journal of Nutrition found that eating a low-carb/high-protein diet lead to increased fat-burning in the body as well as the creation of more muscle mass than those you observed on a low-protein, low-fat, high-carb diet. Although weight loss can still happen following a low-carb/high-protein nutritional approach, what are the health advantages of adding exercise to that routine?
I think the J. Nutrition paper was important because it demonstrated the interaction of dietary protein with exercise. The paper showed that the combination of a higher protein diet and exercise increased weight loss and targeted the weight loss to body fat while protecting lean tissues like muscles.
You’re right both diet groups lost weight and exercise helped both groups but there were differences in the amount of fat the was burned by each group.
For example, we had two groups that were diet-only treatment and two groups that were diet-plus-daily exercise. After 16 weeks of dieting, the group receiving the high-carb diet lost about 11 pounds of body fat, while the group consuming the low-carb, high-protein diet lost 13 pounds of body fat. The group that had the high-carb-diet-plus exercise lost 12 pound of body fat while the low-carb, high-protein diet plus exercise lost an amazing 19.5 pounds of fat!
So, the individuals eating a high-carb diet did 16 weeks of daily exercise and lost 1 pound of body fat more than just the diet effect, while the low-carb, high-protein subjects lost an additional 6.5 pounds of body fat doing the same exercise program. The higher protein diet maximizes the benefits of doing exercise.
6. A popular myth that floats around out there about livin' la vida low-carb is that your body hits a certain point during exercise when it stops burning fat for fuel and starts using lean muscle mass instead. Why do people believe they will lose muscle while on a low-carb diet and what really happens to muscle when people eat low-carb?
The answer to this question is a bit complex. This statement is derived from studies of long-term starvation. The body always needs some carbohydrates (glucose). The exact amount varies depending on specific conditions. During total starvation with no food being eaten, the body must rely on its own tissues to provide the essential mixture of fuels to sustain life.
The primary fuel is stored fat and fortunately (or unfortunately as the case may be) most of us could live at least 6 weeks without another meal. However, we also need a continuous supply of glucose. The body has a very small store of glycogen that can provide glucose for about 36 hours, then the body must make its glucose.
The body has three sources of glucose, one is the diet (but our person is starving), a second is glycogen (but this is all gone) and the third is a process called gluconeogenesis where the body makes glucose from amino acids. During starvation, the body must rely on body proteins for the amino acids. But under normal conditions, the body makes glucose from amino acids coming in from the diet.
This is one of the reasons that a low-carb diet must also be high-protein. The high-protein diet allows the body to make the necessary glucose from dietary amino acids and not rely on breaking down body proteins.
7. New research on protein and the effect it has on hunger has become the latest craze that food companies have attempted to take advantage of in the marketing of their foods over the past year. Your research looks closely at protein not just for satiety purposes, but also on the amino acids (especially leucine) it provides for other health benefits. What are some of theadditional reasons for eating more protein, how much should people be eating daily, and what are the best sources for protein that people can purchase?
Our research has shown that people lose more weight, they lose more body fat and less lean tissue, and they have more energy and feel less hungry when they consume protein. Specific mechanisms to explain each of these are not clear.
We think that the increase in the amino acid leucine along with the decrease in the levels of insulin produce the important changes in body composition. Mechanisms to explain the feelings of greater energy and reduced hunger are much more speculative.
The amount of protein that we use is approximately 110 to 130 grams each day with not less than 30 grams at each meal. We recommend use of dairy, meats and eggs as our primary sources of protein because they the right balance of amino acids and a high content of leucine.
8. Another one of those popular myths about people on a low-carb diet is that all of that meat they are eating will cause their kidneys to stop functioning and shut down. Why is this argument invalid and how can a low-protein diet be even more detrimental to someone's health?
That is simply not true. While special-interest groups continue to perpetuate this myth, the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Academies of Science reviewed this issue and they concluded that there was no evidence that diets high in protein harmed the kidney.
However, they did find that LOW protein diets resulted in reduced kidney function. So not only is the statement not true, the truth is exactly the opposite--low-protein diets are bad for your kidneys.
The origins of the myth is that individuals with advanced kidney failure need to reduce the work load on the kidneys which is done be reducing dietary intake of salts and protein. It is a totally different question to ask “what is the best way to treat a damaged kidney” versus “what is the best way to keep a healthy kidney healthy?”
We have now studied over 150 adults using high-protein, low-carb diets and we have never seen a single case of gout. Gout is not a problem with protein or amino acids, it is a metabolic problem associated with handling nucleotides which are the building blocks for DNA and RNA.
10. THANK YOU Dr. Layman for sharing your vast knowledge about the low-carb diet with me and my readers today. We are thankful to have someone like you bringing the real science behind low-carb to the forefront of our culture. Do you have any parting words you would like to share?
Never lose your passion for learning the truth.
We won't, Dr. Layman, we DEFINITELY won't! You can e-mail Dr. Donald K. Layman at dlayman@uiuc.edu.
10-27-06 UPDATE: One of my readers had a question about Dr. Layman's research.
What percentage of carbs, protein and fat did they eat? There are lots of studies coming out on low-carb diets but they never tell you how low the carbs are. This would be helpful information. Can you find out?
Well, I went back to Dr. Layman himself and here's what he said:
The carbs in our study diet were reduced but not super low. We required subjects to maintain diets with less than 170 total grams of carbs per day. Most of our subjects averaged about 140 total grams daily (including fiber). The type of carbs and the distribution throughout the day is as important as the absolute amount.
We use a ratio of carbs to protein in our teaching approach. At any meal or snack, the ratio of carbs to protein should be around 1 to 1. Since protein has such high satiety, this creates a self-limiting approach to carb intake.
THANK YOU for the question and hopefully Dr. Layman answered it for you to your satisfaction. Any other questions?
