Carbs are Killing You

CARBS KILLING YOU! LARE WHY EATING FAT DOESN'T MAKE YOU FAT FAT'S GOT A BAD RAP. WE'VE HEARD THAT CURBING OUR CONSUMPTION OF FATTY FOODS WILL HELP US LOSE WEIGHT. WE'VE REDUCED OUR FAT INTAKE, BUT OBESITY IS THRIVING. SO WHAT GIVES? THE ANSWER: IT'S NOT FAT'S FAULT. INSTEAD, DIETS RICH IN CARBOHYDRATES HAVE BEEN SECRETLY STORING FAT, SLOWLY GROWING OUR WAISTLINES AND OUR OBESITY EPIDEMIC. DONT BELIEVE IT? HERE'S HOW IT HAPPENS. HOW YOU GET FAT IN 12 SAD STEPS 4. 3. 2. Insulin tells your body You begin secreting insulin. You think about a to store fatty acids and You get hungry. keeps you from burning it as energy. meal containing carbohydrates. 7. 8. 6. Your blood-sugar Digested carbohydrates You secrete levels rise. enter your bloodstream more insulin. You start eating. as glucose. 12. 10. 11. 9. You secrete more Fat from your meal stays in Fat cells get insulin. your fat cells as triglycerides. fatter. THE WORST OFFENDERS YOU GET FATTER. BEER PASTA CORN EASILY DIGESTIBLE = WORSE FOR YOU FRUIT JUICE POTATOES SODA BREADS CEREALS The most easily digestible carbohydrates are the most fattening. They pump glucose into the RICE bloodstream quickly, causing insulin to spike. LIQUID CARBOHYDRATES FOODS MADE OF REFINED FLOUR STARCHES BUT WHAT ABOUT LOW-FAT DIETS? HOW DO THOSE COMPARE TO CUTTING OUT CARBS? LOW-CARB TRUMPS LOW-FAT DIETS ATKINS DIET TRADITIONAL DIET DIET DESIGN Subjects ate as much fat Subjects ate fewer total The year 1984 marked the launch of a massive campaign and protein as desired, but calories and avoided fat to promote low-fat diets, led by the National Heart, limited carbohydrates to 20 and saturated fat. Carbs Lung, and Blood Institute. We were told to eat less fat, grams per day for the first made up 55 to 60 percent and we did-saturated fat consumption declined in the two to three months, then of all calories. years that followed. 50 grams. HOWEVER, THE OFFICIAL EMBRACE OF THE RESULTS RESULTS LOW-FAT, HIGH-CARB DIET DIDN'T COINCIDE WITH A DECLINE IN WEIGHT AND WEIGHT -9.9 POUNDS -5.5 LBS HEART DISEASE. TRIGLYCERIDES INSTEAD WE SAW A RISE IN -29.3 -14.6 OBESITY AND DIABETES. BLOOD PRESSURE -4.4 -2.2 (DIASTOLIC) Researchers from Stanford University put two diets to the test: one low in carbohydrates but high in fat and protein, and one low in fat but high in carbohydrates. THE TAKEAWAY: People who limited carbohydrate intake but ate as much fat and protein as they wanted lost more weight on average than those who avoided fats and increased carbohydrates, suggesting fats don't make people fat, CARBS MAKES PEOPLE FAT. BUT, REALLY HOW DOES IT HAPPEN? THE SCIENCE BEHIND IT: FAT CELL BIGGER CELLS MAKE US FATTER Cell membrane Activated glycerol Fatty acids Triglyceride FAT Fatty acids STORAGE TRIGLYCERIDE FATTY ACID CYCLE Fat flows in and out of our cells constantly, Fatty acids but it's fat that is stored in fat cells that makes us fatter. We store fat in the form of triglycerides. Triglycerides are formed by three fatty acids bound by one molecule of glycerol inside a fat cell. Triglycerides are too large to flow through the membranes of a fat cell, but Fatty acids Fat cell Fat cell Glycerol FAT BREAKDOWN fatty acids are able to flow freely. CREDIT: "WHY WE GET FAT," GARY TAUBES SO WHAT MAKES US FAT? AND WHAT MAKES US LEANER? ANYTHING THAT PROMOTES THE FLOW OF FATTY ACIDS INTO YOUR FAT CELLS ANYTHING THAT HELPS BREAK DOWN THOSE TRIGLYCERIDES WHERE CARBS COME INTO PLAY Insulin is our body's primary regulator of fat metabolism. It is also the primary regulator of lipoprotein lipase (LPL), which sits on the membranes of cells and pulls fat into the cell. THE MORE INSULIN WE SECRETE, THE MORE ACTIVE LPL IS ON OUR FAT CELLS. THEREFORE, WHEN INSULIN LEVELS GO UP, WE STORE FAT. WHEN INSULIN LEVELS FALL, WE USE THAT FAT FOR FUEL. Insulin level in the bloodstream is primarily determined by the carbohydrates we consume. It's the quality and quantity of carbs that determine how much fat we accumulate. CARBOHYDRATES DRIVE INSULIN INSULIN DRIVES FAT ACCUMULATION MEANING FATS CARBS DO. DON'T MAKE US FAT SOURCES: "WHY WE GET FAT," GARY TAUBES, FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION INFOGRAPHIC DESIGN BY COLUMN FIVE MASSIVE P HEALTH ----------