In this post, I'll explain my current understanding of the factors that promote obesity in humans. Heritability To a large degree, obesity is a heritable condition. Various studies indicate that roughly two-thirds of the differences in body fatness between individuals is explained by heredity*, although estimates vary greatly (1). However, we also know that obesity is not genetically determined, because in the US, the obesity rate has more than doubled in the last 30 years, consistent with what has happened...
Thursday, 25 August 2011
A Roadmap to Obesity
Posted by Admin in: diet exercise Food reward genetics hyperphagia leptin overweight
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Sunday, 21 August 2011
Seed Oils and Body Fatness-- A Problematic Revisit
Posted by Admin in: diet fats overweight
Anthony Colpo recently posted a discussion of one of my older posts on seed oils and body fat gain (1), which reminded me that I need to revisit the idea. As my knowledge of obesity and metabolism has expanded, I feel the evidence behind the hypothesis that seed oils (corn, soybean, etc.) promote obesity due to their linoleic acid (omega-6 fat) content has largely collapsed. Read more...
Thursday, 18 August 2011
Food Palatability and Body Fatness: Clues from Alliesthesia
Posted by Admin in: diet Food reward hyperphagia overweight
Part I: Is there a Ponderostat? Some of the most important experiments for understanding the role of food palatability/reward in body fatness were performed by Dr. Michel Cabanac and collaborators in the 1970s (hat tip to Dr. Seth Roberts for the references). In my recent food reward series (1), I referenced but did not discuss Dr. Cabanac's work because I felt it would have taken too long to describe. However, I included two of his studies in my Ancestral Health Symposium talk, and I think they're worth discussing...
Monday, 15 August 2011
I Got Boinged, and Other News
Posted by Admin in: low-carb overweight
The reaction to my post "The Carbohydrate Hypothesis of Obesity: a Critical Examination" has been overwhelmingly positive, particularly among the scientists I've heard from. On Saturday, the inimitable maker and writer Mark Frauenfelder posted a link to my post on the variety blog BoingBoing. BoingBoing has been on my sidebar for three years, and it's the place I go when I need a break. It's a fun assortment of science, news, technology and entertainment. BoingBoing was originally a zine started by Frauenfelder...
Thursday, 11 August 2011
The Carbohydrate Hypothesis of Obesity: a Critical Examination
Posted by Admin in: diet hyperphagia Kitava low-carb overweight research bloopers
IntroductionI'd like to begin by emphasizing that carbohydrate restriction has helped many people lose body fat and improve their metabolic health. Although it doesn't work for everyone, there is no doubt that carbohydrate restriction causes fat loss in many, perhaps even most obese people. For a subset of people, the results can be very impressive. I consider that to be a fact at this point, but that's not what I'll be discussing here. What I want to discuss is a hypothesis. It's the idea, championed...
Monday, 8 August 2011
Ancestral Health Symposium
Posted by Admin
Last weekend I attended the Ancestral Health Symposium at the University of California, Los Angeles, organized by Aaron Blaisdell, Brent Pottenger and Seth Roberts with help from many others. It was a really great experience and I'm grateful to have been invited. I was finally able to meet many of the people who I respect and admire, but knew only through the internet. I'm not going to make a list because it would be too long, but if you take a look at the symposium schedule, I think you'll understand where...
