The brand new hub for the very latest in low-carb research is not in the United States, Canada, Australia, or even the UK. It’s the country of Israel where some rather powerful new studies supporting the low-carbohydrate nutritional approach for health have come out this year. You’ll recall this The New England Journal Of Medicine from July where Israeli researchers found their low-carb study participants experienced a significant increase in their HDL “good” cholesterol, a noticeable decrease in their triglycerides, amazing improvements in the A1C and C-reactive protein levels, and more weight loss than the beloved low-fat diet.
Now we have yet another incredible low-carb study from Israel published in the September 29, 2008 issue of the scientific journal Acta Pædiatrica that will once again put livin’ la vida low-carb on the radar screen of medical professionals and physicians. Lead researcher Moshe Phillip, MD, Director of the Institute for Endocrinology and Diabetes in the National Center for Childhood Diabetes at Schneider Children’s Medical Center of Israel, wanted to do a random side-by-side comparison of three specific dietary approaches on the weight and health markers of 55 obese youth.
They were put on one of the following diets:
HIGH-FAT, LOW-CARB
MODERATE FAT, LOW-CARB
HIGH-CARB, LOW-FAT
The study participants had their health and weight markers measured after an overnight fast at baseline, follow 12 weeks on their specific diet plan, and then again after nine months. What were the results? While there was “no significant differences” between the three groups in terms of body mass index and body fat percentage changes, there was one very cler distinction between the low-carb and low-fat diet. Wanna guess what it was? INSULIN! Duh?!
Insulin levels did the whole dipsy-doodle when they “decreased significantly” on both of the low-carb diet groups. The HIGH-CARB, LOW-FAT diet didn’t fare so well with controlling insulin. Are we REALLY surprised? As Gary Taubes shared in his book Good Calories, Bad Calories, carbohydrates drive insulin which leads to obesity and disease. Is it any wonder why the low-carb diets were far superior to the high-carb, low-fat one in controlling this essential blood sugar stabilizing hormone? Not to you and me, but this is BIG NEWS to the medical establishment apparently.
Dr. Phillip and his research team concluded that while the weight loss was similar among all of the diets and that low-carb diets “apparently have no advantage over high-carbohydrate low-fat diets” in that respect, the plummet in insulin levels in the two low-carb groups is what they describe as “noteworthy” since Type 2 diabetes, the result of consistently high levels of insulin, is becoming more and more prevalent in kids and teenagers suffering from metabolic syndrome.
“The impact of low carbohydrate diets in obese and insulin-resistant youth warrants further investigation,” the researchers concluded.
Absolutely this subject should be studied more and the findings from that research should be shouted from the mountaintops. While the American Diabetes Association has offered only tepid support for low-carb diets for diabetics beginning this year, it is scientific evidence like this out of Israel that will further embolden that decision and make it more readily accepted by those in the medical mainstream to embrace low-carb living. The more proof that continues to come out, the better.
But it’s still gonna take some time–years, maybe even decades–to change the monolithic thinking about health that exists today. I applaud the courageous men and women who sometimes sacrifice their reputation and careers to get the truth published about low-carb. THANK YOU Dr. Phillip and others like you who are allowing the evidence to guide you rather than you predisposed biases.
You can contact Dr. Moshe Phillip to thank him for his research on low-carb diets by sending an e-mail to mosheph@post.tau.ac.il.
