I meant why do you say that it’s carbs that put on weight and thus cause insulin resistance? I’ve read that it’s actually animal fats that are involved in insulin resistance. Moreover, I believe - as do others - that a combination of low quality carbs and fat causes weight gain.
How come other nations that eat carbs like rice don’t put on weight? That’s a rhetorical question because I think the answer is the lack of processed ‘rubbish’.
And in Type 1 at least fats do cause insulin/BG issues eg the pizza effect.
I think a lot of the "carbs not calories" school of thought is based on what's known as the "carbohydrate-insulin hypothesis" for obesity: carbs => insulin production => food goes to fat accumulation, not energy => you feel hungry even though you're eating a lot. Restricting carbs => less insulin production => food used for energy rather than building fat => you feel full & don't eat as much.
As I understand things, it's an elaboration of the old Atkins-ish message that if you avoid carbs you can eat as much as you want to without getting fat.
Kevin Hall's group at the US NIH has run a series of experiments which for many (including me, fwiw) demonstrate that the carbohydrate-insulin hypothesis is simply wrong.
They have a "metabolic ward" where volunteers are confined so that their food intake and energy expenditure can be precisely measured, as part of randomised cross-over feeding studies, all very rigorous.
The latest study, just published, had volunteers eating as much as they wanted on two different diets, for two weeks each: a keto diet crafted along the lines recommended by Virta Health, the high-profile commercial keto proponents; and a whole-food low-fat diet. *Every single participant* ate substantially more on the keto leg than on the low-fat leg, despite seeing much higher insulin production with the latter.
Previous experiments showed keto diets delivering no advantages in terms of energy expenditure or weight loss, admittedly over limited time frames, but nervertheless providing lots of evidence against the usual low carb canards, ie:
- Carbs make you hungrier than other macros.
- Carbs make you gain weight more than other macros.
- Carbs reduce your energy more than other macros.
I usually hate Youtubes etc but Hall actually presents really well. An overview of the last serveal years work from his lab:
Main publications:
https://www.niddk.nih.gov/about-niddk/staff-directory/biography/hall-kevin/publications