Robert Lustig explains how low-carb and ketogenic diets work better than low-fat ones because they lower insulin levels. He points to evidence that blocking insulin increases weight loss, and notes the Western diet is highly insulinogenic. He also flags unsolved questions about how maternal diet during pregnancy affects a child's weight.
Chapters
Models have been duking it out, I would say, for the past 15 years. Which one's right? All right. So here's the support and the reputation for the carbohydrate insulin model. So we know that ketogenic and low carbohydrate diets promote weight loss more effectively than low fat diets. We know that. We know because they keep insulin down. We know inhibition of insulin secretion increases weight loss in those patients who are obese, who are dieting. And we know that the current Western diet is highly insulinogenic. We know all those things. All those things are supportive of this. But there's some challenges. There are some refutations, too. This concept of developmental programming, how does that work in utero? Why is it that we have an epidemic of obese newborns when they don't diet and exercise and they're not eating? Excess carbohydrate, high glycemic index. Processed foods have many new ingredients, and those new ingredients may have.