Yoga, Nutrition Policies Compromised

Bob Crowther highlights Gary Taubes' book (Good Calories, Bad Calories), issues about national nutrition policies and increasing obesity levels.

"Obesity Is Found to Gain Hold in Earliest Years" (New York Times, January 29, 2014). 

This headline and article written by Gina Kolata along with other print and online versions did get my attention and those of health professionals. 

This study recorded the weight and height of over 7,000 children from kindergarten through eighth grade.

A major finding: children in kindergarten who are overweight or obese when young often remain this way as they get older  - " ... a third of the children who were overweight in kindergarten were obese by eight grade." [see reports for specific details]

Undoubtedly, these findings will generate further discussion among physicians and nutritionists about the roles genetics and environmental factors play in obesity and contribute to re-evaluating intervention strategies.

Why have so many attempts by health care specialists failed to produce long term positive results in reversing weight gain among our youth and more mature members of our population of all ages?

Will those responsible for implementing national food policies effecting obesity (and diabetes) reconsider how they evaluate and respond to information from specialists? 

Professionals within the many disciplines concerned with obesity might still benefit from reading Good Calories, Bad Calories by Gary Taubes (2007) - first published in the UK and Australia as The Diet Delusion. 

History, Science and Politics
Challenges Establishment Positions

Taubes, a science journalist, spent five years researching and writing about how we arrived with the food policies that have dominated our society during the past sixty years.

He detailed the historical and contemporary roles played by investigators from the international community within different disciplines [focus on nutrition science].

Taubes critically examined and evaluated published experiments along with spoken and written statements including advice reaching the highest levels of government. 

A major observation: strength of personality at different times led to assumptions and implementation of policies independent of the veracity of cited scientific evidence about obesity.

Competing hypotheses about what leads to obesity - consumption of dietary carbohydrates and fats - are presented in detail and include interactions among individuals in medicine and politics.

He challenges the current scientific paradigm that low-fat diets promote weight loss and improved health. He presents considerable scientific evidence that dietary fats are not a cause of obesity.

Significantly, throughout the book,Tubes notes scientific abuses and how contradictory results have been often poorly reported and conflicting data ignored. 

Taubes examines common assumptions associated with obesity and describes in detail the science experiments that refute them.

Among the obesity myths he identifies are: 

• the quantity of calories consumed and calories expended is important for controlling weight gain ...[the science indicates it is the quality of calories that are important;not all calories are equal] 

• under-eating will decrease weight ... [actually, calorie restricted diets "are known to be poor and not long lasting"; semi-starvation diets fail, low calories diets lack needed nutrients]

• exercise leads to long-term weight loss [rather, more strenuous exercise often leads to an increased appetite] 

Five conclusions based on his research are quoted directly:

• "Obesity is a disorder of excess fat accumulation, not overeating, and not sedentary behavior"
• "Consuming excess calories does not cause us to grow fatter..."
• "Fattening and obesity are caused by an imbalance ... in the hormonal regulation regulation of adipose tissue and fat metabolism"
• "Insulin is the primary regulator of fat storage. When insulin levels are elevated ... we accumulate fat in our fat tissue"
• "By stimulating insulin secretion, carbohydrates make us fat and ultimately cause obesity"

Not surprisingly, Taubes' book was met with criticism [see contemporary reviews].

Despite an effort to critically evaluate the scientific evidence in detail, his strong views about the consequences of high carbohydrates consumption have generated comments of ignoring other possibilities. 

Taubes is reminded to heed the words quoted and attributed to H.L. Mencken cited in his book : "There is always an easy solution to every human problem - neat, plausible, and wrong."

Good Calories, Bad Calories is a valuable resource and a reminder that we as a society should be more critical of policies and advice initiated by the-powers-that-be in government, medicine and nutrition science (among others).

With increasing frequently, past policies and practices involving food have been shown to be wrong and even harmful.

Taubes contributions, along with books by the following authors (William Davis, Robert Lustig, David Perlmutter, Michael Pollan) i have cited recently in my website posts collectively may help us to become better educated about the choices we make about what to eat. 

Set aside time, ask questions and learn more. 

What you put in your body can have serious short and long term health consequences.

#YogaAndNutrition #BadCalories,GoodCalories  #NationalFoodPolicies #NutritionScience #Nutritionism #ObesityMyths