The latest diet drama

A new article in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition has had a polarizing effect on many health and diet influencers and they’re taking to their virtual rooftops—either crying “Foul!” or “I told you so!” The article in question, “The carbohydrate-insulin model: a physiological perspective on the obesity pandemic,” claims that it’s not just energy balance (calories in/calories out) that explains the obesity pandemic. It matters what the calories are coming from—and if they’re coming from foods that are dramatically spiking your blood sugar (like ultra-processed hyper-palatable foods) your hormones and other metabolic processes are thrown off and if you keep eating like this—obesity is the end result. We have written about this in the past in our blog “Calories In/Calories Out Theory Revisited,” but we are also reminded of our blog called “Extremes,” where we advocated for more of a “middle way” in all things. Could there be a middle way between these two nutritional concepts? We think so.

Nutrition: The middle way

So—”Calories In/Calories Out” and “Carbohydrate-Insulin Model”—who’s right? Well—they both are! Yes—you must be in a calorie deficit to lose weight—but when it comes to your health, it matters where those calories come from. There are Iron Man Triathletes that develop Type 2 Diabetes from the energy gels that they down during races over the years. How do you explain that? Obviously, it matters that they are sucking down pure sugar all the time. Another variable that gets glossed over in many research studies is the metabolic health of the participants. Once your metabolism is broken, if you are developing insulin resistance and are on the spectrum between Metabolic Syndrome and obesity, then things are getting worse exponentially, and turning things around gets more and more challenging. If someone is in this state, then it matters whether a daily intake of 1500 calories are from a plate of cookies or from protein and vegetables. In a diseased state, a diet of whole foods, or a tool like the low carb/high fat diet or ketogenic diet, can be a therapeutic tool to help return insulin sensitivity to the body. But what else is at play in obese people?

Food addiction

As we wrote about in our article “Food Addiction,” addiction to sugar and ultra-processed, hyper-palatable foods is real. There are food scientists out there right now, working on that perfect bliss point between sugar, salt, and fat—ensuring you will get hooked on their latest product. The complex area of food addiction is rarely mentioned by research scientists in the aforementioned camps, or by health and nutrition influencers on Instagram. The message of “Eat Less, Move More” is touted by many, including the dietary guidelines in the U.S.—and yet the obesity epidemic grows worse and worse with each passing year. We feel that anyone addressing their obesity needs to address their underlying addiction to food. That means taking an uncomfortable look at the underlying issues, pain, and trauma that are at the root of addiction. Twelve Step groups like Overeaters Anonymous can be very helpful with this and provide a strong network of like-minded peers that are pursuing the same goal. 

 In conclusion

Science is a great tool for assessing the world for what it is. It provides us with the tools and perspectives essential for understanding the complexities and dynamics of our bodies and our surroundings. But it doesn’t say much about how this knowledge interacts with the dynamics of culture, day-to-day life, or the mental baggage you’re carrying around with you.  So, can a thing be accurate but not helpful? Or vice versa?

When asked about the calorie in vs sugar debate, we think that there is something to learn from both scientific schools of thought. The confusion for most people happens when they get caught up in the details of what the causal mechanism of our underlying biology is, and what diet strategies are the “most” scientific. Questions like—"should I do” keto, high fat, low fat, fasting, fasting for how long, etc. start to suppress the important questions.   

Don’t get us wrong—all of the questions above are interesting scientific questions, but they don’t matter that much for normal people who want to be fitter and healthier. Managing your calories, eating “real food,” and reducing your sugar intake will probably be good strategies for most people, and the how and why are secondary questions that only should concern people who want to delve deeper into human biology.

So, our takeaway is: Both camps are probably right, but it doesn’t really matter. Your strength numbers, Vo2 max, and waist measurements are more important than the causal dynamics and underlying role of e.g., insulin resistance vs. how the laws of thermodynamics play out in the human body.

So, here’s the coffee talkers’ guide to stuff that is actually useful to focus on:

1. Getting your Vo2 max higher

2. Getting your waistline slimmer

3. Getting stronger

4. Sleeping more

5. Eating “real” food

6. Eating more protein

7. Limiting your sugar intake

That’s it… don’t worry about the why and just concentrate on the execution.

Until next time

Scott and Lennart