Is There a Low-Carb Diet Gene? -  There have been reports in the media in the last few days about a study from Stanford University, presented at an American Hearth Association conference in San Francisco last week. Because the study has not yet been published, I do not have access to is, but here is what I can gain from other reports:
138 overweight women were assigned to one of four diet groups. The diets were modeled after three popular diets (Atkins, Zone, and Ornish) and the U.S.D.A Food Pyramid. In this way, the researchers apparently attempted to include diets which were very low in carbohydrates, very low in fats, moderately low in carbs, and "standard diet recommendations".
In terms of weight loss, the results were what we usually see in diet studies - some weight loss, and no big difference between the groups. But then came the big twist. Of the hundreds of genes which have been associated with obesity, the researchers chose three which were judged to potentially have an impact on how individuals metabolize food. When these genes were analyzed in the study participants, the whole picture of weight loss shifted. As Jennifer Thomas of HealthDay reports:
"Women assigned to the correct diet based on their genotype lost two to three times more weight at 12 months than those who were assigned to a diet that was inappropriate. When the researchers looked at only the most extreme diets (Atkins versus Ornish), the results were even more stark. Women assigned to their correct diet for their genotype lost five times as much weight as those on the incorrect diet, the study found."
Now, before anyone gets too excited, the researchers are emphasizing that this is a very prelininary study, and lots more work needs to be done before anything conclusive is discovered. I would also point out that this is not yet a peer-reviewed study (that is, it has not been published in a scientific journal). However, it is obviously fascinating, and potentially ground-breaking, possibly changing our whole view of who should be eating what. Some of my reflections:
- There have already been a few studies which have looked at different diets for different groups of people - for example, a small 2005 study showed that people who were insulin resistant lost more weight on a low-carb diet, while people whow were normal in terms of insulin did better on a low-fat diet.
- It also makes sense that the people who are going to benefit the most from cutting carbs have underlying issues with insulin and glucose. People who don't process sugar well simply do better with less of it, and all carbs are sugar. So I would guess that some of these genes are involved with carbohydrate/sugar metabolism.
- Some of the genes in the study are apparently involved with fat metabolism, which also makes sense in terms of what kind of diet would be best for an individual.
- One of the frustrating things about large diet studies is that while we are told the differences in the outcomes between the diet groups (which is often small), we are usually not even given hints of how much difference in outcome there was between the people within each diet group. This is potentially very important. If some people did great and some did terrible, the fact that there was a mediocre average simply does not tell the tale. We need to know why some people did great and some did terrible. This has usually been chocked up to compliance (the people who did terrible didn't "follow the rules"). But what if it was because of factors which had nothing to do with compliance and everything to do with a person's genetics and metabolism and physiology?
One of the main points I try to make over and over is that different amounts of carbohydrate are right for different people. Perhaps someday we can evaluate our genes to give us this information. Until then, we have to experiments on ourselves. If our blood glucose is not entirely normal, that is one clue (any fasting blood glucose above 90 in probably not truly normal). But all the trial and error is definitely worth it, if we are looking for the healthiest body we can get.
Photo: Dimitri Vervitsiotis/Getty Images
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Is There a Low-Carb Diet Gene? originally appeared on About.com Low Carb Diets on Monday, March 8th, 2010 at 12:00:04. Permalink | Comment | Email this
Low-Carb Oscar Party - 
I admit it, I am a sucker for the whole gaudy nonsense that is the Academy Awards. My husband and I have been going to a movie every week for over 20 years now! We're gotten into a yearly ritual where I make our favorite low-carb pizza, some snacks such as spicy nuts, and sometimes a fun drink like a strawberry daiquiri. Then we settle in to alternately admire and make fun of people, and cheer on our favorites. I guess you could say this is my Super Bowl.
Photo: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images
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Low-Carb Oscar Party originally appeared on About.com Low Carb Diets on Saturday, March 6th, 2010 at 14:59:13. Permalink | Comment | Email this
Is Agave Nectar Low in Carbs? -  The popularity of agave nectar as a sweetener has been increasing recently - I'm seeing it pop up everywhere. It's billed as an alternative to sugar, with a lower impact on blood glucose. I set out to figure out what exactly this stuff is, and whether it lives up to its low-glycemic billing. Check out What is Agave Nectar?
Photo of Agave Plant: Siri Stafford/Getty Images
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Is Agave Nectar Low in Carbs? originally appeared on About.com Low Carb Diets on Friday, February 26th, 2010 at 13:59:47. Permalink | Comment | Email this
Live Webcast Wednesday with Dr. Richard Bernstein -  I once got a comment on my blog, "If I ever meet Dr. Bernstein, I will give him a big kiss...for saving my husband's (and my) life!"
Many people have had this reaction to reading and applying the work of Dr. Richard Bernstein, author of Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes Solution and The Diabetes Diet: Dr. Bernstein's Low-Carbohydrate Solution. Now, there is an opportunity to hear him speak and ask questions! On this Wednesday, February 24 at 7 PM Eastern Standard Time, there will be a live Webcast, where Dr. Bernstein will share his thoughts on the latest developments in diabetes treatment, and answer questions. To register for the webcast, go to this page.
Image Courtesy of Pricegrabber
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Live Webcast Wednesday with Dr. Richard Bernstein originally appeared on About.com Low Carb Diets on Monday, February 22nd, 2010 at 19:59:37. Permalink | Comment | Email this
Low-Carb Foods for Lent -  Do you follow certain food traditions for Lent? Perhaps you forgo meat on certain days, or animal products altogether. There's no doubt that the tendency is to substitute high-carbohydrate foods in place of the protein, but it needn't be that way. One thing to do is to eat more fat if you're cutting back on protein. For example, add more oil in your salad dressings and vegetables. Also, find high-protein substitutes for meat dishes. I have recipes on this site to help, and you can also check out this collection of Lenten recipes compiled by About.com's Guide to Catholicism, Scott Richert. There are some good low-carb ideas as well as those higher in carbs.
Photo © Nicola Stratford
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Low-Carb Foods for Lent originally appeared on About.com Low Carb Diets on Saturday, February 20th, 2010 at 14:59:33. Permalink | Comment | Email this
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