WOO HOO, Kelly! Does your daughter have Type 1 diabetes, epilepsy or some condition that requires her to limit her carbohydrate intake? Great to hear you’re trying it, too, even if Dave isn’t totally digging it yet.

–Jimmy

http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/120091997/abstract?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0

Hunh. This abstract says this;

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Background: Orlistat has been shown to increase adiponectin and reduce progression to type 2 diabetes in obese Caucasians. Some effects of orlistat are thought to be independent of weight loss by altering gut flora and the production of endotoxin lipopolysaccharide (LPS).

Conclusion: The increase in adiponectin levels in the orlistat group would suggest that orlistat may reduce the progression to type 2 diabetes in South Asian individuals by raising serum adiponectin. The finding that LPS levels are also reduced by orlistat and that this reduction correlates with the increase in adiponectin raises the possibility that the increase in adiponectin may be mediated via an effect on LPS levels.

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If orlistat lowers LPS, and increases adiponectin, it seems a little silly to say that this is independent of weight loss, since adiponectin is itself an energy balance modulating hormone. The similarity of some of the effects of low carb and low calorie low fat plus orlistat might be in part due to a less inviting environment for gut bacteria.
Glycine and Taurine are both used to remove endotoxins from the body… and both help fight the effects of a high sucrose or fructose diet in rodents.

That a diet helps us lose weight doesn’t impress me as much, because 95% of us (me included) get more hungry after we’ve lost weight (just like we do after we exercise). So we gain it back. Something about us people is we want to stay the same: it seems unfair to me, just like it seems unfair that as we get older we metabolize more slowly but are just as hungry. I think you could take an underweight person, successfully put them on a diet, and after awhile they’ll be too skinny again.

It’s more interesting that the diet resulted in significantly lower blood pressure.

I too could care less about primarily focusing on the weight loss effects of a diet, Peter. But improving your health through dietary changes is the main reason to follow a chosen plan of eating and extremely fascinating. We may be somewhat predisposed to weigh a certain amount as you suggest, but you cannot underestimate the power of diet in bringing about dramatic changes in health regardless of any genetic cause for how much you weigh. That’s what is most incredible about livin’ la vida low-carb to me!

–Jimmy

Anyway, I’ll take low carb over poopy pants any day.

Amen to that, Dan!

–Jimmy