good review of "The Cholesterol Wars"

(old post from my lost blog at ehcafe.com, aug 2009)

http://www.cholesterol-and-health.com/Daniel-Steinberg-Cholesterol-Wars.html

I wish this guy has a review of Good Calories Bad Calories. 

Gary Taubes is wrong?

(old post from my lost blog at ehcafe.com, july 2009)

I think I have finally found a book that argues for the Cholesterol-Hypothesis: that tries to go through the scientific evidence and show that Cholesterol indeed is the main cause of heart disease.

The Cholesterol Wars by Daniel Steinberg
http://www.amazon.com/Cholesterol-Wars-Skeptics-Preponderance-Evidence/dp/0123739799

I read so far 2 books that present the opposite argument:

• Good Calories Bad Calories by Gary taubes
• The Great Cholesterol Con by Anthony Colpo

I believe one has to read books with differing points of view to get to the right conclusion. I'm looking forward to reading The Cholesterol Wars.

Unfortunately I cannot find reviews for this book on the low-calorie forums. I call on Gary Taubes to review this book. Essentially this book says that Gary Taubes is wrong. Fat and not Refined Carbs are the evil components of our diet.

One Page summary of Good Calories Bad Calories by the author - a diet that works

(old post from my lost blog at ehcafe.com, aug 2009)

Gary Taubes summaries the 3rd section of the book, which is concerned with obesity and diets.

http://www.motherearthnews.com/print-article.aspx?id=139058

Carb vs Fat Hypotheses (links)

(old post from my lost blog at ehcafe.com, july 2009)

EhCafe has posted a new item, 'Hypothesis" (links)'

There's a debate raging in the scientific arena so far about Carb-Hypothesis vs Fat-Hypothesis. Is eating Fats that cause heart attacks and obesity, or is it refined carbs like sugar, white bread and white rice.

These are links for talks and articles by Gary Taubes who advocates the Carb-hypothesis:

2007/2008 Good Calories Bad Calories book

Metabolic Syndrome X, in wikipedia

Taubes 2001 article, the soft science of diet.

Taube's original 2002 very-controversial article in The New York Times, Big FAT Lie

Interview with Taubes following his 2002 article, the Inside Story

An article about the "lack" of science on losing weight by working out "We Cannot Work it Out"

A lecture at UC Berkeley in 2007 following publication of his book "Quality of Calories" (webcast)

A lecture at Stevens Institute of Technology in 2008, Big Fat Lies (webcast)

must have book "good calories bad calories" (first impressions)

(old post from ehcafe, july 2009)

I am half way through an amazing book. I wanted to give few first impressions here. I'll be writing more posts on it soon.

"Good Calories, Bad Calories" by Gary Taubes.

http://www.amazon.com/Good-Calories-Bad-Gary-Taubes/dp/1400040787

 

Gary Taubes is a senior writer in Science Magazine. He's the only journalist so far who won the best scientific writer award in the US 3 times. I heard an interview with him a while ago and have been waiting for his book.

 

He spent 5 years reviewing the scientific evidence for the past 150 years on heart attacks, obesity, far, carbs, and certain diseases.

He comes up with an interesting conclusion that reinforces what I've read in several places so far:

 

1- Fat and cholesterole are NOT harmful. they are actually very evolutionary-suitable for our bodies.

2- Carbs, especially simple ones (sugar, rice, and white flour) are extremely evil because they mess up our hormones by constantly affecting insulin. Keep in mind that these food substances became prelevant only in the last few hundred years! (rice might be an exception in certain gepgraphies)

3- According to research, Carbs are definitely the main cause of: Diabetes, Obesity, and Heart Attacks

4- There's a strong evidence (not conclusive yet though) that Carbs are also the main cause of Cancer and Alzeheimer!

 

The funny thing, this books shows very clearly that the evils of Carbs (or at least that it causes obesity) have been known for a very long time (e.g. the arabic proverb eating bread brodens shoulders). He shows that the whole cholesterole-hypothesis really dates only back to the 1950s until now, and that it's based on weak evidence that was pushed up because US and Europe were having what seemed like a heart-attack epidemic and they had to do something. Cholesterole was easily measurable and so it provided and easy and clear "recommendation" albeit a wrong one. (reminds of an Einestein quote: for every complicated problem there's a nice simple solution that is wrong).

 

hope you like the book like I do. My wife and I are rethinking our whole diet - what we should feed the children, etc. very tough. we'll see where we get.