The "carbohydrate insulin model" of obesity fails yet another experimental test

[Eddy Edson]

It's calories, not carbs, and insulin resistance isn't causal for obesity.

Adipose tissue insulin resistance is not associated with changes in the degree of obesity in children and adolescents

AbstractContext. The “carbohydrate-insulin model” claims that adipose tissue insulin sensitivity explains development of obesity via adipocyte energy storage an

academic.oup.com

Abstract​

Context
The “carbohydrate-insulin model” claims that adipose tissue insulin sensitivity explains development of obesity via adipocyte energy storage and/or low postprandial metabolic fuel levels.

Objective
We tested whether adipose tissue insulin sensitivity predicts changes in the degree of obesity over time.

Design
A secondary analysis of an observational study of youth with obesity. Adipose tissue insulin sensitivity/resistance and whole body insulin sensitivity were evaluated using OGTT derived surrogates in the face of changes degree of obesity over time.

Setting
A pediatric weight management clinic.

Participants
Two hundred and thirteen youths with obesity.

Main outcome measure
Change in BMI-z score (the change in the degree of obesity)

Results
Mean BMI-z change was 0.05 ± 0.28 (range:-1.15 to 1.19) representing a broad distribution of changes in the degree of obesity over a follow up period of 1.88 ± 1.27 years. Adipose tissue insulin resistance was not associated with changes in the degree of obesity in univariate or multivariate analyses (adjusted for baseline age, BMI-z score, sex, ethnicity and time of follow-up). Low postprandial free fatty acid concentrations or their suppression during the OGTT were not associated with changes in the degree of obesity in univariate or multivariate analyses. Whole body insulin sensitivity was not associated with changes in the degree of obesity in univariate or multivariate analyses.

Conclusions
In this secondary analysis, in youth with obesity, adipose tissue insulin resistance is not protective from increases of the degree of obesity and skeletal muscle insulin resistance is not associated with increases of the degree of obesity.

 

[bulkbiker]

In 213 youths with obesity..?

 

[42istheanswer]

In 213 youths with obesity..?

Are you surprised that a clinic whose sole purpose is managing weight for children and young people managed to recruit 213 of them for a study?

 

[bulkbiker]

Are you surprised that a clinic whose sole purpose is managing weight for children and young people managed to recruit 213 of them for a study?

No I"m surprised and a little disappointed that on a diabetes forum someone uses a study where no-one had diabetes to try to make a point.

 

[42istheanswer]

No I"m surprised and a little disappointed that on a diabetes forum someone uses a study where no-one had diabetes to try to make a point.

Maybe you are misunderstanding the point then.

It makes perfect sense to me that a study which looks at whether there is a direct link between insulin resistance and obesity is shared on a diabetes forum. It is relevant to the attempts to identify what causes Type 2 diabetes, and why it seems more common in people with obesity

 

[bulkbiker]

Maybe you are misunderstanding the point then.

It makes perfect sense to me that a study which looks at whether there is a direct link between insulin resistance and obesity is shared on a diabetes forum. It is relevant to the attempts to identify what causes Type 2 diabetes, and why it seems more common in people with obesity

Unless you think obesity is a symptom and not a cause.
Then the hyperinsulinemia model looks fine.
Ask Prof Ben Bikman.. he studies it after all.

 

[42istheanswer]

Unless you think obesity is a symptom and not a cause.
Then the hyperinsulinemia model looks fine.
Ask Prof Ben Bikman.. he studies it after all.

I thought the point made in the study referenced here is that they didn't find a causal relationship  either way.

I have no particular desire to "ask" your pet researcher. I am not sure if I have ever heard of him before your post to be honest. And evidence based practice would involve looking at more than one researcher. Any one study or one researcher will only ever be part of the picture, and large scale reproducible studies (I.e. someone else can do a similar study and find similar results) provide better evidence than small studies which no one else has reproduced, hence often studies will be shared here as they have appeared in the news which will be interesting, but may not be enough to change anything in terms of people's thoughts or clinical practice on their own until further studies are done that support or disprove them. If Ben Bikman is producing good quality research (as I say, I don't think I've heard of him so have no idea) then I would expect that they will eventually be included in meta-analyses.

 

[Deleted member 21371]

To be fair, I doubt it.
But it seems he is good with skin tags???