I thought I'd mark my return to blogging by taking the piss out of a certain Diet Doctor for his post
It’s the Insulin, Stupid, who takes (and tweaks) Fig 7A from
Hyperinsulinemia Drives Diet-Induced Obesity Independently of Brain Insulin Production.
At first glance, Fig 7A looks like a CIH believer's dream come true (apart from the words "High Fat Diet").
Hyperinsulinemia → Obesity.
Obesity is caused by too much insulin. Game, Set and Match to insulin.
Not so fast! Let's take a look at the rest of Fig 7.
Figure 7.
Revisiting the Current Model of Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes(A)
The most widely accepted model of the pathogenesis of obesity and type 2
diabetes posits that a high-fat diet leads to obesity and insulin
resistance (there is debate about the relative order and causality of
these). In this widely held view, insulin resistance then leads to
hyperinsulinemia, which is followed by β cell exhaustion, and then type 2
diabetes. The accepted model is incompatible with our results that put
the insulin hypersecretion genetically upstream of obesity.(B)
Our data support a model whereby insulin levels must be kept low to
maintain energy expenditure in white adipose tissue via the expression
of Ucp1. Our data do not address the order of subsequent events
after obesity (outside the yellow box), such as insulin resistance
and/or type 2 diabetes, since they were not observed in our studies. In
other words, the effects of insulin gene dosage on obesity are
independent of sustained changes in glucose homeostasis or insulin
resistance.
↑ Peripheral Hyperinsulinemia → ↓ Uncoupling Proteins (WAT) →
↓ Energy Expenditure → ↑ Obesity.
Obesity is caused by
a reduction in energy expenditure in these mice. Game, Set and Match to
The Energy Balance Equation. It’s the Calories, Stupid. In these mice, energy expenditure is strongly influenced by insulin levels. In humans, not a lot. In humans, insulin can act as a
stimulant or a
sedative.
I'm not an insulin denier as is obvious from my other blog posts. I'm still restricting my carbohydrate intake to ~125g/day from whole foods.
I'm not a food reward denier. I've been using food reward principles to lose weight.
This post will probably annoy some people. Before wasting your time writing a comment, please read my
Moderation Policy.