How Carbs Make You Fat
Despite the slightly too wild headline this is a nice new infographic about carbs, insulin and obesity. It’s simplified of course – it focuses only on the peripheral effects of insulin: growing fat cells.
Chronically high levels of insulin also induces something called leptin resistance in the brain. What that does is basically make the brain blind to the fat stores, so that the brain can believe the body is starving even when it’s really obese. It’s a double whammy.
The easiest way to become obese? Eat more (bad) carbs than you burn. Eat at McDonald’s for example and choose extra-large fries and a large Coke (starch and sugar).
For a slightly more advanced lesson see my 15 minute interview with professor Robert Lustig: The Cause of Obesity.
January 29, 2012 at 13:17
This is great poster that should be displayed in schools, gyms and doctor's offices. My only quibble is "You think of meal containing carbohydrates." Isn't the body's reaction the same no matter what sort of food you think of? Because, if so, it gives the appearance of an irrational demonization of carbs - exactly the same thing that was done with fat.
January 29, 2012 at 15:40
I was worried about that, too.
There is a danger that people on VLC diets may start to think that their extreme form of glucose intolerance is common to everybody (Tom Naughton is a case in point).
A simple guideline like '50-100g of safe starches/day' will be a lot more helpful than variations on religious taboos a la "Are you thinking of EVIL CARBS again ?"
January 29, 2012 at 16:01
It's odd that the info-graphic shames starches, liquid carbs, and stuff made of flour, but not sweets. Where should sugar be on the "worst offenders" list?
January 29, 2012 at 16:06
True: there are people who survive throughout the day with chocolate bars, plus almost every single product -including items as unlikely as sausages- are packed with either sugar or high fructose corn sugar. Ketchup, for example, can have as much as 25-35% sugar (or HFCS).
January 29, 2012 at 18:10
OT tech question - has anyone tried to download The Eatery app from Massive Health (the people who produced the graphic)? It looks good, but I keep getting a message that I need iOS 4.2 or later, and my phone is already on iOS 5.0 something. There doesn't appear to be a way to contact them.
January 29, 2012 at 21:05
Slightly simplistic but quite educational.
January 29, 2012 at 22:53
I agree with Alexandra - but I don't think it's a quibble. The graphic really needs to be corrected.
The emphasis is on the moral, not the physical. It's your *thinking* that's making you fat! Blaming the dieter is still step 1 here.
If we think about steak, do we then not secrete insulin? I mean, their heart's in the right place, but it's a serious inaccuracy. The graphic would be much stronger if it were factually and physically correct.
January 30, 2012 at 1:15
I came across your blog when I was trying to read my way through the Gary Taubes vs Stephan Guyanet blog wars. Im a huge fan of Gary Taubes and he offered the first explanation that made sense to me of why we get fat. It was very disheartening reading Stephan try to debunk it. I came to the conclusion that both theories do not need to be necessarily mutually exclusive. It would seem clear that the brain has some input into our fat gain, but also something has to be happening at the fat cell and as food comes into our bloodstream.
All I know is that I am no longer feeling hungry anymore and I feel my weight may be under control. I have Gary Taubes to thank for that. But you were the one voice of reason that gave me a little bit of hope too while I was reading those comments. So many people just praised Stephan but there were some obvious inconsistencies. The main one for me was that it is no surprise that in the brain insulin reduces hunger - thats what it should be doing....IN THE BRAIN. Same goes for increased Leptin with increased Insulin - it makes sense that your body is trying to stop you from eating.
Anyway enough babbling. Glad I found your blog and will be reading from now on.
January 30, 2012 at 3:29
"The emphasis is on the moral..."
Exactly! The last thing we want is another religion.
"The graphic would be much stronger if it were factually and physically correct."
Yes. What I want to see is a dispassionate weighing of the evidence - not propaganda of a different variety.
January 30, 2012 at 12:43
I am not sure the statement that thinking about carbs triggers insulin. When our dog knows a treat is coming, drool literally drips from his mouth. We know sugar has an effect on the dopamine centre in the brain similar to nicotine, cocaine and morphine. This is likely due to the psychotropic effects of the blood sugar high. Meat does not cause a blood sugar high and I have not seen a study suggesting addictive properties of meat.
We also know that when the mouth detects sugar in the mouth this starts the secretion of insulin. Meat does not.
Perhaps the graphic should be amended to state that for some people, the thought of carbs triggers insulin. Just as for some people, the thought of a cigarette triggers a craving.
January 30, 2012 at 21:03
"I am not sure the statement that thinking about carbs triggers insulin."
Well then, the new treatment for T2D and obesity is simply to not think about the carbs you are eating. We should just tell people to watch exciting sports events on TV while eating carbs, and that way they won't think about carbs, and thus won't spike their insulin. All fat people need to be lean is *distraction*!
Now I can go back to eating 6,000 calories of potatoes washed down with Coke a day in the full knowledge that my insulin won't rise and I won't gain weight.
I hope you realize this is a reductio ad absurdum.
January 30, 2012 at 22:17
Hi Alexandra,
Are you still experiencing problems downloading The Eatery? We'd love to have you join The Eatery community. Please drop me a note at cassandra@massivehealth.com so we can figure out the problem if you're still experiencing problems. Thanks and I look forward to hearing from you!
Warmest regards,
Cassandra
January 30, 2012 at 23:27
So, I've being reading this blog for a long time, and while it state how we get fat, It never state how to get slim. You think those two would be the same, and they should be, but somehow they aren't... Am I making any sense?
January 30, 2012 at 23:30
"It never state how to get slim."
Here. Do this.
•Eat: meat, fish, eggs, vegetables growing above ground and natural fats (like butter).
•Avoid: sugar and starchy foods (like bread, pasta, rice and potatoes).
http://www.dietdoctor.com/lchf
January 30, 2012 at 23:51
Personally, I found the poster a little confusing. The top spends a lot of time on the secretion of insulin, yet there is a disconnect between steps 9 and 10--carbs->insulin, carbs->insulin, carbs->insulin, all of the sudden fat? HUH? Toward the bottom it finally explains "when insulin levels go up, we store fat", but steps 9 and 10 at the top seem to say that fat you eat still makes you fat.
It could be clearer and more simplified, since it is meant to speak to people who haven't read Atikins, Taubes, etc and still think "calories in, calories out" is meaningful.
January 31, 2012 at 0:57
Thanks Cassandra!
January 31, 2012 at 14:28
Think about taking the first bite of your favorite food: the mouth waters in anticipation ala Pavlov, and I feel strong elevation of desire for that food. My understanding is that the anticipatory mecahanisms in the brain do ready the body for food which means along with saliva there is some insulin released, among other things. Would be nice if we could reverse the insulin with thinking, but the primitive part of the brain seems immune to thought. Try to wish away the need to urinate, for example--I've tried mant times. I doubt it would be as much a reaction to foods that don't overly stimulate insulin production. I know that I feel a dfferent sense of anticipation with starch/sweets than a juicy steak, which I love, too.