Why Low-Fat Diets Don't Work

The reason low-fat diets are so ineffective is related to our blood sugar levels. A low-fat diet will usually mean that we end up eating more carbohydrate. This carbohydrate is converted into glucose (sugar) in the bloodstream. There is a large variation between different people, but in general, the more carbohydrate we eat, the higher our blood glucose levels get.

Glucose in the bloodstream triggers the release of the hormone insulin. So, high levels of blood glucose result in high levels of insulin. The problem is that insulin actually blocks the ability to burn body fat and it is the hormone that is responsible for depositing fat into our tissues.

The excess glucose in our bloodstream (created by excess carbohydrate in our diet) is directly converted into stored body fat The situation gets much worse as time goes by since high levels of blood glucose lead to

type II diabetes. Studies have also repeatedly demonstrated that excess glucose damages the arteries and causes heart disease.

A study published in the health journal Lancet in 2006 collated data on blood glucose and cardiovascular
disease from 52 countries. It was found that more than 3 million deaths were attributable to high blood glucose levels. The total number of deaths related to higher than optimum blood glucose was comparable to the number of deaths from smoking.

So next time somebody tells you they are on a low-fat diet, offer them a cigarette to go along with their super-high carb diet--it'll be just as healthy for them.

P.S. If you really want to understand causes of heart disease, read a brilliant book (available online) a Metabolic Typing colleague of mine Justin Smith wrote. Available at http://www.29billion.com/