Tag Archive for: low carbohydrate

Addictive eating

/in

By Tamzyn Murphy RD, MSc (Dist.)

 

Food addiction is real. Cravings and ‘food addiction’ appear to be present in around 15 – 20 % of overweight and obese individuals [1, 2]. But not all foods are created equal when it comes to triggering addictive eating. Food addiction or addictive food behaviours are specifically linked to foods high sugar or both fat and sugar (particularly processed foods) [1] – think chocolates, ice cream, cookies/biscuits and crisps. These foods are excluded from a low carbohydrate high healthy fat diet (LCHF) diet, but generally included in limited quantities in conventional diets. Therefore, in individuals prone to food addiction, LCHF eating may improve adherence and success compared to conventional diets.

 

Are you a food addict?

Take the Yale Food Addiction Test to find out. You can download the test and the scoring system here. If you’re a food addict don’t lose hope, read on to find out some ways to combat your addictive eating and get control of your weight and health.

 

Action plan to overcome addictive eating

If addictive eating and cravings are something you struggle with, you need to have a plan in place to succeed. So, write your plan down and follow through. Here are a few tips that may help you:

 

  1. Adopt a LCHF or ketogenic whole/real food diet, low in processed food. This will set your physiology up for success. The next steps with help your psychology overcome your addictive eating behaviours.
  2. List the pros and cons of continuing to indulge in your addictive eating practices and decide whether it’s worth the effort to change. If you decide that it is then…
  3. List your addictive foods of choice and decide to eliminate them completely from your diet (just as an alcoholic must abstain from alcohol). It helps to get them out of your home completely.
  4. List your trigger situations, people, events, or psychological states, so that you’re conscious of them when the craving strikes. And write down ways to avoid them if possible.
  5. Write down the feelings associated with the cravings. Do you get a rumbly tummy, raised heart rate or panicky feeling when the craving strikes? Recognising these signs, also help you increase your consciousness about what you’re going through as you’re going through it, so as to have more control over it.
  6. Preparing a shocking thought that can interfere with the thoughts of the gratifying experience of indulging the craving can help. This thought needs to be consciously imagined at the time of the craving. For example, this could involve imagining the taste, texture, and feeling of eating ice-cream (if that’s your addictive food of choice). Then imagining your dog vomited in it and an equally vivid image of how the experience of eating that would be. This shock-tactic re-programming often works to retrain the brain from thinking of the addictive food as the solution to the stimulus that initiated the craving in the first place.
  7. List alternative activities or course(s) of action you will take when the craving strikes (e.g. going for a walk or a gym session, playing with your kids, writing in your journal or doing some other hobby that gives you a sense of happiness, and/or phoning a friend).
  8. Look for support and accountability. It can help to have a spouse or friend on call for when the craving strikes. They can help talk you through it and support you out of it.

 

If these tips and resources are not enough you may need to join a program or group to help with this specifically, such as overeaters anonymous (OEA) or Food Addicts Anonymous, or get the help of a psychologist with experience in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy.

 

References

  1. Criscitelli, K. and N.M. Avena, 5 Sugar and Fat Addiction. Processed Food Addiction: Foundations, Assessment, and Recovery, 2017.
  2. Eichen, D.M., et al., Exploration of “food addiction” in overweight and obese treatment-seeking adults. Appetite, 2013. 67: p. 22-24.
  3. Yale Food Addiction Scale. FastLab: Food and addiction science treatment lab. Department of Psychology. University of Michigan. 2019
  4. Overeaters anonymous (OEA)
  5. Food Addicts Anonymous

LCHF and kidney function

/in

Except from MSc (Med) Physiology Dissertation (UCT), by Tamzyn Murphy (RD)

 

Safety concerns have been raised over low carbohydrate high fat (LCHF) diets’ relatively high protein content, for renal function [100]. While protein intake on LCHF diets may be higher than on conventional diets, it seldom exceeds 30 % total daily energy intake (TDEI) [10, 101]. Critics theorise that high protein intake (> 25% of TDEI or > 2 g. kg body weight (BW)-1 [102])  may chronically increase glomerular pressure and hyperfiltration, thereby damaging the kidneys [103] – particularly concerning in Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) with its high nephropathy risk. Indeed protein restriction helps preserve renal function in pre-existing kidney disease [104]. However, evidence doesn’t support the theory that high protein diets impair renal function in the absence of kidney disease [100, 102, 103, 105], even in obese individuals with T2D [106].  In fact, very low carbohydrate high fat (VLCHF) diets may improve renal function [107], as indicated by results showing reversal of diabetic nephropathy in rodents [108] and reduced creatinine concentrations in an intervention study in overweight and obese humans with and without T2D [109].

 

References

  1. Crowe, T., Safety of low‐carbohydrate diets. Obesity reviews, 2005. 6(3): p. 235-245.
  2. Adam‐Perrot, A., P. Clifton, and F. Brouns, Low‐carbohydrate diets: nutritional and physiological aspects. Obesity Reviews, 2006. 7(1): p. 49-58.
  3. Møller, G., et al., Higher Protein Intake Is Not Associated with Decreased Kidney Function in Pre-Diabetic Older Adults Following a One-Year Intervention—A Preview Sub-Study. Nutrients, 2018. 10(1): p. 54.
  4. Martin, W.F., L.E. Armstrong, and N.R. Rodriguez, Dietary protein intake and renal function. Nutrition & metabolism, 2005. 2(1): p. 25.
  5. Rhee, C.M., et al., Low‐protein diet for conservative management of chronic kidney disease: a systematic review and meta‐analysis of controlled trials. Journal of cachexia, sarcopenia and muscle, 2018. 9(2): p. 235-245.
  6. Brinkworth, G.D., et al., Renal function following long-term weight loss in individuals with abdominal obesity on a very-low-carbohydrate diet vs high-carbohydrate diet. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 2010. 110(4): p. 633-638.
  7. Tay, J., et al., Long-term effects of a very low carbohydrate compared with a high carbohydrate diet on renal function in individuals with type 2 diabetes: a randomized trial. Medicine, 2015. 94(47).
  8. Azar, S., H. Beydoun, and M. Albadri, Benefits of ketogenic diet for management of type two diabetes: a review. J Obes Eat Disord, 2016. 2(2).
  9. Poplawski, M.M., et al., Reversal of diabetic nephropathy by a ketogenic diet. PLoS One, 2011. 6(4): p. e18604.
  10. Hussain, T.A., et al., Effect of low-calorie versus low-carbohydrate ketogenic diet in type 2 diabetes. Nutrition, 2012. 28(10): p. 1016-1021.

4-WEEK HEALTHY WEIGHT CHALLENGE: The Low Carb Way

/in

We are excited to be launching our August  4-WEEK HEALTHY WEIGHT CHALLENGE: The Low Carb Way! An online support program for people wanting to lose weight, achieve a healthier lifestyle and combat metabolic disease.

Prepare to reclaim your body and your health, as our Registered Real Food Dietitians, Bridget and Tamzyn, guide you every step of the way: This program has been specially designed to provide the individualized dietary interventions that help our individual clients achieve weight-loss and health success, as well as heaps of information and resources used in our follow-up consultations and trainings. Plus more exclusive content designed just for this challenge! We want to do everything we can to help you succeed, so goal setting and monitoring, and support and accountability, are also key components of this challenge.

 

Start date:

12 August 2019

Entries close on Wednesday 2 August 2019

 

Here’s a rough guideline of what the program entails

  • Health and lifestyle assessment: To start off with, you will fill in a questionnaire so that we can get to know you and your concerns and goals. Your answers will also let us know about any medical conditions or health concerns that you may have.
  • Diet assessment: You will be complete 1.) an online questionnaire telling us which foods you eat and how often, as well as 2.) a 3-day online food diary. We will analyse this diet data to see how and what you eat, to help us design your individualised diet plan.
  • Individualized meal guideline: You will be given an individualized meal guideline (based on the assessment from the questionnaires and food diary).
  • Weekly menu and shopping list: Will be emailed to you each Friday to prepare for the week ahead.
  • “Hot seat”: Each Wednesday evening we will have a “hot seat” period where you can ask us questions on our private Facebook page and we will be available to answer them immediately.
  • Weekly virtual talk given by Tamzyn or Bridget: Each week you will also have a virtual talk to prepare you for the week ahead.
  • Goal setting: Weekly.
  • Monitoring: Tamzyn and Bridget will monitor your progress by analysing changes in your body composition and meal records and the achievement of your goals.
  • Support: You will receive bi-weekly emails from Tamzyn and Bridget to keep you on track and offer support. You will also have access to others on the program, as well as Bridget and Tamzyn, via the closed Facebook group for trouble shooting and support. You will also have live direct access to Tamzyn or Bridget to answer all of your questions during the weekly Hotseat.
  • Resources: You will be given interesting articles/TED talks to read / watch to help you along your journey.
  • Individualised report: At the end of the program you will receive an individualised diet report and assessment, as well as helpful tips for the way forward.

 

The following topics will be covered during the program

WEEK 1

  • What to expect
  • Goal setting
  • How to use your individualised meal plans and shopping lists
  • Low Carb 101: How to get started on your low carb eating plan

WEEK 2

  • Trouble shooting and avoiding side effects
  • Macros: A deeper dive into carbs, fats and protein – what’s enough/too much
  • Hurdles: Eating out/ social eating, and more
  • Psychology of comfort and addictive eating patterns and getting around them

WEEK 3

  • Exercise
  • Intermittent fasting: what are the benefits, how to implement it, and which regimen should you choose

WEEK 4

  • Addressing questions and concerns that have come up during the program
  • Wrapping up – interpreting your report, have you achieved your goals, sustainability, what next

 

The cost

R1200

Medical aid

As this program is being run by registered dietitians, it is covered by many medical aids. Contact your medical aid to inquire about your whether you can be reimbursed on your plan. We can give you a quote to submit to them.

 

We hope to instill in everyone that this is not a diet but a lifestyle change to achieve a healthier weight and improve your health.

 

To book your place in our Challenge or for any questions please do not hesitate to contact us.

 

Yours in Health

Bridget and Tamzyn

Real food Dietitians

Can kids ‘Bant’?

/in , ,

By Tamzyn Murphy

BSc Med(Hons) Human Nutrition and Dietetics, RD

 

We await the verdict of Prof Tim Noakes’ HPCSA trial over a tweet in which he “advised” a mother to wean her child onto LCHF food. In the meantime let’s take a closer look at the evidence regarding Banting and kids…

 

Today’s children are the first generation expected to live shorter lives than their parents [1]. We are seeing more overweight children and adolescents than ever before [2, 3]. And we know that overweight children are likely to grow up into overweight adults, with associated health risks (e.g. heart disease and diabetes) [4]. It is clear that the way most children are eating is not doing their health any favours.

 

If we always do what we’ve always done, we’ll always get what we’ve always got

 

Sickly sweet South African kids

Eating too much sugar is associated with dental caries and increased obesity risk [3]. Both of which are prevalent health concerns amongst South African children.

 

We know that children and adolescents in South Africa, and across the globe, eat more sugar than adults. In fact one study reported that South African children eat about 50g (12.5 teaspoons) of sugar each day, while South African adolescents consume as much as 100g (25 teaspoons) per day [3]. This represents 10-20% of daily calorie consumption [3]. South African adults on the other hand, are thought to be eating approximately 38-51g (9-13 teaspoons) of sugar each day, contributing 10-15% of their calories [3].  The World Health Organisation’s guidelines recommend a maximum of 5% of daily calories from sugar – that’s no more than 7 teaspoons daily from all sources. Reducing or even eliminating our children’s added sugar consumption can only be good for their health.

 

Most medical practitioners and scientists will agree that drastically reducing or even cutting out children’s sources of added sugar can only be good for them. But the question remains, can children safely following a low carbohydrate, high fat (LCHF) diet (popularly known as Banting in South Africa), that’s devoid of starches and wholegrains as well as sugar?

 

Evidence: very LCHF diets in children

Although, very little research has been done on LCHF eating in children, a few studies have shown that overweight  kids and teens (6-18 years of age) who followed a LCHF, containing less than 60g of carbs each day, successfully lost weight, without negatively affecting the levels of fat and cholesterol in their blood [5, 6]. The authors suggest that reducing dietary carbohydrate may be a possible treatment for insulin resistance in children and adolescents.

 

Of note, a very low carbohydrate, ketogenic diet has been successfully used to treat childhood epilepsy for almost a century [7]. A modified version of the Atkin’s diet, also very low in carbohydrates (it only contains 10g), but easier to follow than the ketogenic diet (as, unlike the ketogenic diet it doesn’t also limit calories and protein), has been used successfully for the same purpose for over a decade. Unlike protein and certain fats, dietary carbohydrates are not essential nutrients – our bodies can make them from scratch to use as fuel. So it’s not surprising that both the ketogenic and modified Atkin’s (probably more so than the ketogenic diet, which also limits protein and calories) diets are considered safe when used in conjunction with multivitamin and calcium supplementation [8, 9].

 

“Banting” for children needn’t be very low carb

It’s important to bear in mind that most children who follow a LCHF don’t need to drastically restrict carbohydrates to the ketogenic levels (<60g per day) investigated in the studies discussed above (A LCHF diet typically provides 20-120g of carbohydrate daily or 5-30% of total energy intake). So, while added sugar, starches and grains will be eliminated from their diets, other wholefood sources of carbohydrates won’t be excluded (e.g. dairy, starchy vegetables, nuts, seeds, fruit and even properly prepared legumes).  I recommend that children only restrict their carbohydrates to below 60g under the supervision of a dietitian or knowledgeable medical doctor.

 

Provided that a child consumes the recommended 3 portions of dairy daily and eats enough vegetables, supplementation shouldn’t be any more necessary on this diet than with any other. While I don’t suggest being too restrictive about children’s starchy vegetable, fruit and nut consumption, excluding starches (in the form of grains) and added sugar from children’s diets shouldn’t pose any health risk and will likely come with a host of benefits. Especially considering that these restrictions are done in the context of a diet that emphasises avoiding processed food, while eating REAL, nutrient dense foods.

 

“Banting” for kids simplified

  • Eat real food. Avoid processed food.
  • Eat freely: Avocados, olives, other vegetables, dairy, fish, poultry, meat (including organ meats), eggs, butter, olive oil, coconut oil
  • Eat moderate amounts: Fruit, nuts, seeds, properly prepared legumes (beans, peas, lentils)
  • Exclude: Added sugar (in all its forms), processed food, grains (although it’s likely fine to include limited amounts of the less irritating grains such as oats or quinoa)

 

References 

[1] Olshsky SJ, Passaro DJ, Hershow RC, et al. A Potential Decline in Life Expectancy in the United States in the 21st Century. N Engl J Med 2005; 352:1138-1145 

[2] Gupta N, Goel K, Shah P, Misra A. Childhood Obesity in Developing Countries: Epidemiology, Determinants, and Prevention. Endocrine Reviews. Jan 2012;33(1) 

[3] Steyn N, Temple NJ et al. Evidence to support a food-based dietary guideline on sugar consumption in South Africa. BMC Public Health. 2012;12:502

[4] Singh AS, Mulder C, Twisk JWR, et al. Tracking of childhood overweight into adulthood: a systematic review of the literature. Obesity Reviews. Sep 2008;9(5):474-88 

[5] Gow ML, Ho M, Burrows TL, et al. Impact of dietary macronutrient distribution on BMI and cardiometabolic outcomes in overweight and obesechildren and adolescents: a systematic review. Nutr Rev. 2014 Jul;72(7):453-70. 

[6] Sondike SB, Copperman N, Jacobson MS. Effects of a low-carbohydrate diet on weight loss and cardiovascular risk factor in overweight adolescents. J Pediatr. 2003 Mar;142(3):253-8. 

[7] NICUS. The Ketogenic Diet…Fa(c)t or fiction? 2007

[8] Tonekaboni SH, Mostaghimi P, Mirmiran P, et al. Efficacy of the Atkins diet as therapy for intractable epilepsy in children. Arch Iran Med. 2010 Nov;13(6):492-7. 

[9] Suo C, Liao J, Lu X, et al. Efficacy and safety of the ketogenic diet in Chinese children. Seizure. 2013 Apr;22(3):174-8. 

Diets that do and diets that don’t: Part 2 – The Paleo Diet

/in

By Tamzyn Murphy

BSc Med(Hons) Human Nutrition and Dietetics, RD

 

The Paleo diet, founded by researcher Loren Cordain (PhD), is based on what our caveman ancestors ate. It includes only the foods we’ve eaten for most of human history; which we’ve evolved to eat. Like Atkins, Paleo is a low carb, moderate protein, high fat diet. You’re allowed as much meat, fish, poultry, eggs, natural fat (e.g. butter, olive oil, avocado) and non-starchy vegetables as you like. Unlike Atkins, Paleo allows any other foods that our caveman ancestors ate, like any root vegetables, nuts, seeds and fruit.  We only became dependent on farmed foods, like grains, legumes (beans, peas, lentils) and dairy, relatively recently – less than 500 generations ago – with the advent of agriculture. So our genes haven’t had much time to adapt to problem compounds in these foods, theoretically causing inflammation and weight gain.

Indeed, grains and legumes contain anti-nutrients (like lectin and gluten) which interfere with nutrient absorption, irritate intestinal lining (promoting leaky gut) and yield other toxic effects. Cereal grains, particularly wheat, are the worst.[i] So there’s a case to be made for limiting or even eliminating them. But legumes’ anti-nutrients are largely inactivated by cooking at high temperatures, which makes them relatively safe[ii]. Plus legumes contain numerous beneficial compounds.[iii] They’re also are an important protein source – particularly important for vegetarians, vegans and the poor; not to mention ethical and environment-friendly meat-replacements. There’s no evidence that legumes increase weight gain. Research shows that dairy doesn’t have inflammatory[iv] or weight promoting effects[v]. In fact it may do the opposite.

So, the theory behind Paleo is sound – eat whole, unprocessed food as much as possible. But including moderate amounts of dairy and legumes may offer more benefits than risks. Paleo loses points on the expense-front, and due to the lack of dairy you might want to supplement with calcium and vitamin D, unless you’re getting plenty of other calcium rich foods and enough sunshine.

 

References

[i] Cordain L. Cereal Grains: Humanity’s Double Edged Sword. Simopoulos AP (ed): Evolutionary Aspects of Nutrition and Health.Diet, Exercise, Genetics and Chronic Disease. World Rev Nutr Diet. Basel, Karger, 1999;84:19-73

[ii] Pusztai A, Grant G. Assessment of lectin inactivation by heat and digestion. Methods Mol Med. 1998;9:505-14 

[iii] Bouchenak M, Lamri-Senhadji M. Nutritional quality of legumes, and their role in cardiometabolic risk prevention: a review. J Med Food. 2013 Mar;16(3):185-98 

[iv] Labonté MÈ, Couture P, et al. Impact of dairy products on biomarkers of inflammation: a systematic review of randomized controlled nutritional intervention studies in overweight and obese adults. Am J Clin Nutr. 2013 Apr;97(4):706-17 

[v] Abargouei AS, Janghorbani M,  et al. Effect of dairy consumption on weight and body composition in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled clinical trials. Int J Obes (Lond). 2012 Dec;36(12):1485-93 

Diets that do and diets that don’t: Part 1 – The New Atkins Diet

/in ,

By Tamzyn Murphy

BSc Med(Hons) Human Nutrition and Dietetics, RD

 

People across the globe are getting fat and desperate – a profitable situation for those peddling fad diets. Obviously conventional nutritional wisdom has failed us – eating fewer calories (particularly less fat) and burning more by exercising doesn’t cut through the flab. It appears that our will-power just isn’t strong enough to overcome the hunger that goes with this kind of advice. Authorities’ recommend that we base our eating on carbohydrate-filled food, with less than 30% of calories from fat and about 15-20% from protein. Much of these carbs come from refined starches and sugar, making our insulin levels skyrocket, which puts our bodies into fat-storage mode and makes us even hungrier. But before that sends you running into the arms of the latest diet, make sure you know which ones work and which are doomed to failure.

 

New Atkins Diet[i]

Atkins is a low carb diet – one of the stricter versions. You shouldn’t be hungry on this diet though and calories aren’t restricted. Most people think low carb diets are high in protein and low in fat. Thankfully this isn’t usually the case – fat keeps hunger at bay and the right types promote good health; while excessive protein could be dangerous. Low carb diets are typically high in fat (60% or more) and moderate in protein (about 25%). The aim is to keep insulin levels low by restricting carbs, thereby reducing hunger and fat-storage, and retraining the metabolism to burn fat instead of carbs.  They’re great for weight loss. And recent evidence indicates they may also reduce heart disease, diabetes and metabolic syndrome risk.[ii] They’re particularly beneficial for those with insulin resistance or pre-diabetes.[iii]

There are four phases to the New Atkins diet – an updated version of Atkins. Phase 1 is really strict, allowing only 20g of carbs a day – mainly from low carb veggies. As you move through the phases you gradually increase the amount of carbs you’re allowed according to the “Carb Ladder” – adding nuts, seeds, low carb fruits, certain dairy products and some legumes. During this process you’re supposed to learn what your individual carbohydrate tipping point is – eat less carbs and you lose weight, more and you gain weight. By the end you should have lost all of your excess weight and know how to make this diet a permanent lifestyle fixture to maintain your weight and optimise health.

Critics claim the high fat content, particularly saturated fat, of low carb diets is bad for heart health but recent evidence refutes this.[iv] Others worry that excessive protein puts strain on the kidneys and leaches calcium from the bones, but the protein content of these diets isn’t typically excessive and there’s no evidence that it negatively impacts on kidney[v] or bone health.[vi] Where casual Atkins dabblers go wrong is they use it as an excuse to pass up on vegetables, gorge in processed food and deep fry everything.

 

References

[i] New Atkins. 2011 

[ii] Azadbakht L, Izadi V, et al. Effect of a High Protein Weight Loss Diet on Weight, High-Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein, and Cardiovascular Riskamong Overweight and Obese Women: A Parallel Clinical Trial. Int J Endocrinol. 2013;2013:971724. Published online: Aug 2013 

and

Noakes TD, Windt J. Evidence that supports the prescription of low-carbohydrate high-fat diets: a narrative review. Br J Sports Med 2017;51:133-139 

[iii] Feinman RD, Pogozelski WK, et al. Dietary carbohydrate restriction as the first approach in diabetes management: Critical review and evidence base. Nutrition 2015;31:1-13

[iv] Siri-Tarino PW, Sun Q, et al. Saturated fat, carbohydrate, and cardiovascular disease. Am J Clin Nutr 2010;91:502–9

and

Harcombe Z, Baker JS, et al. Evidence from randomised controlled trials did not support the introduction of dietary fat guidelines in 1977 and 1983: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Open Heart 2015;2:e000196.

[v] Brinkworth GD, Buckley JD, et al. Renal function following long-term weight loss in individuals with abdominal obesity on a very-low-carbohydratediet vs high-carbohydrate diet. J Am Diet Assoc. 2010 Apr;110(4):633-8 

[vi] Farnsworth E, Luscombe ND, et al. Effect of a high-protein, energy-restricted diet on body composition, glycemic control, and lipid concentrations in overweight and obese hyperinsulinemic men and women.

The first Prof Tim Noakes ‘Banting’ lecture that I ever attended

/in ,

“At any given moment there is an orthodoxy, a body of ideas which it is assumed that all right-thinking people will accept without question… A genuinely unfashionable opinion is almost never given a fair hearing, either in the popular press or in the highbrow periodicals.” – George Orwell, Animal Farm, 1945

 

By Tamzyn Murphy Campbell

BSc, BSc Med(Hons) Human Nutrition and Dietetics, RD

 

It’s January 2013. Waiting for his talk to start, in his grey suit and Nike trainers, Professor Tim Noakes looks far trimmer than when I saw him last, five years ago at a talk on University of Cape Town’s medical campus. His weight loss should come as no surprise though, considering he’s been following his own advice, avoiding carbohydrates, which he claims is the key to solving our global obesity epidemic.

“I’ve been declared officially mad by my faculty,” begins Prof Noakes. Despite being shunned by his peers for his unconventional dietary advice, Prof Noakes appears happy and relaxed and impossible not to like with a big friendly smile stretched across his face. Maybe it’s insanity that’s got him so at ease in the face of scorn. Or perhaps he’s just calmly confident that he’s right. As he explains later in the talk, he has acted ethically by correcting the misconceptions responsible for our ill health as soon as he became aware of them.

Let me walk you through Prof Noake’s argument and then you decide on which side of the nutritional fence you’d like to sit.

 

WHY THE CONTROVERSY?

It’s accepted as fact that we get fat because we eat too much and exercise too little: the twin sins of gluttony and sloth. The prevailing belief is that a high fat intake promotes weight gain and heart disease. Authorities say that saturated fat (mainly from animal-derived food sources) raises cholesterol, which in turn clogs our arteries leading to heart disease. This knowledge stems from the Seven Country Study, published in 1963 and conducted by a scientist called Ancel Keys who found that men in countries with diets high in saturated fat suffered from more heart disease. What Keys failed to mention was that countries that didn’t support this finding were left out of his study. He also failed to report that heart disease incidence happened to increase with a higher sugar intake.

Flying in the face of what we accept as the fundamental truths of nutrition, Prof Noakes declares that fat doesn’t raise cholesterol and cause heart disease nor promote weight gain and we certainly aren’t getting fat because we’re eating too much and exercising too little. He doesn’t expect us to blindly believe him though, presenting us with statistics and cutting-edge scientific intervention and review studies that back up what he has to say. This unconventional opinion, especially from such a well-published and respected scientist, has thrown the South African scientific and medical community into a furor. But according to Prof Noakes, the most outraged are those scientists who are receiving funding from the food industry.

 

MONEY, POLITICS & CORRUPTION

“It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends on his not understanding it,” quotes Prof Noakes when a member of the audience asks how we can possibly believe him when so many scientists disagree. The food industry’s lifeblood is tasty and addictive food and beverages, packed full of carbohydrates and sugar. According to Prof Noakes, if South Africa’s university departments who rely on industry funding – such as cardiology, pharmacology or nutrition – were to speak out against carbohydrates and sugar (or the efficacy of prescription medication in the case of pharmacology faculties) then their research funding would be pulled and their departments may as well shut down.

Prof Noakes says that a researcher who acts as industry’s mouthpiece stands to gain a lot of money and exposure: “These companies will support any researcher that will stand up here and punt exercise to lose weight [in order to avoid recommendations that’ll reduce their sales]”. He goes on to say that industry-funded study results are biased, misleading and often downright wrong. “Ninety-five percent of nutrition advice is based on association studies,” Prof Noakes explains, “and 85% of association studies are wrong.” Association studies show how factors change in relation to each other but are unable to show that one factor causes the other. For example, in Ancel Keys’ Seven Country Study heart disease increased in countries that had higher saturated fat consumption. This doesn’t mean that saturated fat caused the increased heart disease. Other factors could be to blame. As it turns out, sugar consumption happened to increase along with saturated fat in these countries and could possibly explain the increased heart disease risk.

According to Prof Noakes, the two biggest funders of US nutrition research, the National Institute of Health and the US government, will only fund studies that show that high carbohydrate intake is healthy.  This is following a decision made by the US senate, in 1977, to fund corn, soya and vegetable oil agriculture, and the development of US dietary guidelines in the same year recommending that Americans get 50–60% of their total daily energy from carbohydrates, while limiting dietary fat and cholesterol. Prof Noakes explains that these decisions were made to be in line with what grain farmers and the major industry-controlling food companies wanted.

 

CARBS MAKE US FAT

Prof Noakes explains that we’ve genetically evolved to eat a low carbohydrate diet, saying that we don’t actually need to eat carbohydrate to survive, whereas protein and fat are essential for survival. Also, it appears that our calorie and carbohydrate consumption has increased concurrently with obesity over the decades, but our fat intake has remained relatively constant. This implies that it’s not the fat that’s to blame for our ballooning waistlines.

So if Prof Noakes is right and carbohydrates really are to blame, then how do they do it? Prof Noakes claims that carbohydrates upset the body’s natural energy-regulation ability – your homeostat that’s supposed to balance your calories consumed with the calories you burn (calories in versus calories out).  Eating more carbs these days means we’re getting lots of glucose into our bloodstreams. Our bodies have to secrete more of the hormone insulin to keep these potentially damaging glucose levels under control. And as it turns out, insulin promotes fat storage and makes us eat more.

Prof Noakes says that insulin promotes liver triglyceride (fat) production and storage, leading to metabolic problems including diabetes and obesity.[1] Insulin also encourages fat storage in adipose tissue (fat stores), particularly in those who’re genetically predisposed, thereby promoting weight gain. According to Prof Noakes, those who are naturally carbohydrate resistant consistently oversecrete insulin in response to eating carbs. This consistently high insulin means that dietary carbs are continuously being converted to fat and stored away for a rainy day.

All of this carbohydrate conversion and fat storage leaves little energy available to your cells, so you quickly get hungry again, craving a quick-release energy source like, you guessed it, carbohydrates. And so the vicious cycle begins. Prof Noakes says that since he’s been on his low-carb diet he only gets hungry every 16–24 hours. To make matters worse it turns out that carbs are addictive. They temporarily boost the pleasure chemicals in your brain and your mood. Then they drop again, leaving you craving your next carbohydrate fix. “Addictive food choices cause obesity in those with insulin resistance,” says Prof Noakes, “it took me 14 months to stop adding sugar to my tea and coffee but it’ll take me one day to go back.”

 

SOME AND NOT OTHERS

Why then do only some of us get fat on a high-carbohydrate diet, while others can eat what they like and stay lean? Prof Noakes explains that if you’re genetically prone to carbohydrate or insulin resistance, as most of us are, then your body goes into fat production and storage mode in response to carbohydrates and insulin, resulting in constant hunger, inactivity and, consequently, weight gain. If you’re one of the lucky few who can eat what you like and stay lean then your body is better able to utilise carbohydrates as a fuel source rather than storing it as fat in response to insulin. Prof Noakes says that the amount of dietary carbohydrates different people can tolerate varies. “The difference between being lean, as I am, or fat is 25g of carbohydrates,” claims Prof Noakes. This amount is very low. Most people will be able to lose excess fat and maintain a stable healthy weight at somewhere between 20 and 120g of carbohydrates daily.

Prof Noakes also implicates carbohydrates in the dreaded middle-age spread: “As we get older we get more carbohydrate resistant”. So if you could eat what you liked in your youth but are now finding that a spare tire has settled around your middle, cutting all starches and sugars may help you maintain a svelte shape.

 

CARBS MAKE US SICK

“Eighty percent of diseases are caused by nutrition.” According to Prof Noakes, carbohydrates aren’t just to blame for the obesity epidemic but also for the chronic diseases that plague modern society. “There’s one cause [carbohydrates], one treatment [cutting carbohydrates] for all conditions,” reveals Prof Noakes – listing diabetes, cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, high blood pressure, gout, cancer and even Alzheimer’s. Prof Noakes calls insulin the aging hormone, saying, “Alzheimer’s is caused by high insulin” and “cancer, specifically colon and breast cancer, is driven by high insulin”.

Prof Noakes addresses critics’ main arrow in the quiver against a low-carb diet, being that its high fat content increases heart disease risk. It turns out that well-designed, up-to-date research indicates that saturated fat appears to have no effect on death rates[2] and heart disease.[3] A higher carbohydrate intake, on the other hand, increases all the heart disease risk factors.[4] It boosts levels of fats, bad cholesterol (small LDL), insulin and glucose in the blood, while reducing the good cholesterol and boosting your belly.

“If you are eating these [starches] then that’s what you will die from,” Prof Noakes acknowledges with a sad smile.

 

TIPS

If you struggle with your weight, get hungry every three hours or so and dread exercise then Prof Noakes explains that you’re probably carbohydrate resistant and can benefit from cutting down on dietary carbohydrates. His advice? “If it doesn’t occur in nature, don’t eat it.”

A low-carbohydrate diet is typically high in fat and moderate in protein. You’ll need to cut out all grains, sugar and trans fats. Stick to meat, poultry, fish, eggs, vegetables (like spinach, broccoli, tomatoes, mushrooms, lettuce, cucumber, carrots), nuts, avocado pear and olive oil. Prof Noakes warns to stay away from most other vegetable oils though, specifically those high in pro-inflammatory and blood-clotting omega-6 fats like sunflower and corn oils. Full-cream or low-fat dairy products are acceptable in moderation. Depending on how much carbohydrate you can tolerate before you start to balloon, you may even be able to squeeze in a few legumes, a touch of starchy vegetables and low-sugar fruit (like berries and apples) – though it’s probably best to tread with caution when trying these food items on your low-carb diet. Prof Noakes cautions to watch out for sweet beverages, advising sticking to unsweetened water, tea and coffee. And he suggests that most people could benefit from supplementation with omega 3 fats and vitamin D (particularly if you have mid to low range vitamin D levels like he has), due to the strong scientific evidence supporting their use.

 

References include

[1] Petersen KF, Dufour S, et al. The role of skeletal muscle resistance in the pathogenesis of metabolic syndrome. PNAS. Jul 2007;104(31):12587-94 http://www.pnas.org/content/104/31/12587.full.pdf+html

[2] Schoenaker DA, Toeller M, et al. Dietary saturated fat and fibre and risk of cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality among type 1 diabetic patients: the EURODIAB Prospective Complications Study. Diabetologia. 2012 Aug;55(8):2132-41 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22526612

[3] Howard BV, Van Horn L, et al. Low-fat dietary pattern and risk of cardiovascular disease: the Women’s Health Initiative Randomized Controlled Dietary Modification Trial. JAMA. Feb 2006;295(6):655-66. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16467234

[4] Siri-Tarino et al. Saturated fat, carbohydrate and cardiovascular disease. Am J Clin Nutr. Mar 2010;91(3):502-9 http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/91/3/502.full.pdf+html