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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/20/gary-taubes-nutrition_n_851603.html

The comments were pretty good.

His recs on the VAP also good.

Gary is making a nice comeback.

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Comeback from what? – Lee Apr 21 2011 at 14:53
Comeback from the dr oz editing nightmare. Many of my patients came away not impressed with his performance. And that effects their actions sadly. Humans aare easily effected by the smallest thing when they don't understand the causation – The Quilt May 6 2011 at 13:03

closed as not a real question by Bread-Eating Beelzebub Jul 14 2011 at 19:41

3 Answers

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Neat! I'm not going to but I would probably ask him: if he thinks that insulin resistance is the main cause of obesity then why a low carbohydrate diet to remedy the problem rather than reversing insulin resistance? Seems like a good question to me.

Not that I'm against less carbohydrate than is currently recommended by the mainstream, but it seems like a bit of a monomaniacal conclusion.

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 The whole point of the low carb diet would be to reverse insulin resistance. Do you have some other mechanism by which you might accomplish this? – pfw Apr 20 2011 at 23:40
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 The point of a low carb diet is to manage it, a low carb diet by itself can't reverse it. There are tons of mechanisms unrelated to carbohydrates by which we become insulin-resistant. Inflammation, nutrient deficiencies, gut pathology, etc etc. Sugar seems to play somewhat of a role and eating wheat likely does but that's really only the tip of the iceberg. Nobody ever become insulin-resistant by eating potatoes or fruit. – Stabby Apr 20 2011 at 23:48
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 I would ask him if he thinks Jane Brody is a moron. – Thomas Seay Apr 20 2011 at 23:58
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 Lol. I think you already know the answer to that. – Stabby Apr 21 2011 at 0:02
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 Leaky gut + endotoxins thepaleodiet.blogspot.com/2010/07/… Magnesium, chromium, probably others care.diabetesjournals.org/content/early/2010/08/…. When there aren't enough anti-inflammatory eicosanoids to turn off the pro-inflammatory ones expediently. wholehealthsource.blogspot.com/2009/05/… Dr. K knows this. So no carbohydrates aren't the issue in the pathogenesis of insulin resistance. Maybe refined sugar to an extent although the degree is debatable. – Stabby Apr 21 2011 at 2:06
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I asked Taubes a question when he came to give a talk at my school.

The question was "You come up in Paleo diet circles a lot..." (confused onlookers wondering what that means) "...How important do you think eating seasonally is, since so many paleo practitioners are of European descent? Would some people crave periods of high sugar/fruit consumption perhaps?"

His answer was as expected: "Once you reduce/eliminate the really bad stuff, this is a minor issue. Some of my friends who eat this way eventually add tubers back in and do great."

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Can't beat the old "I know someone who does x and is doing fine" argument ! – Ikco Jun 2 2011 at 17:15
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Really, Stabby? I thought sugar (refined sugar), and by extension, fructose was responsible for the pathogenesis of IR. I do know about gluten. Yes, I am convinced that "safe starches" such as yams, sweet potatoes, and yuca do not induce IR. But these have very little sugar.

However, "endogenous sugar" in the form of tropical fruits would seem to cause IR? But perhaps you're right. I haven't heard any Kitavans or those from tropical, fruit-rich countries contracting diabetes without first consuming white flour or "exogenous sugar".

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