I think Gary Taubes comes so frustratingly close in his conclusions, but just misses the mark. He believes that carbohydrates are the reason people are overweight, and that restricting carbohydrates may reverse this.
Howver, there are more than a few holes in this argument. First, in many of the studies he cites in his book, he mentions that carbohydrate-restricted diets don't work for all the participants in the various studies. If restricting carbs was the cure-all, then this wouldn't be happening. Second, he seems to gloss over the high dropout rates in carb-restricted studies. This should be a subject of concern.
Third, if carbs are the problem, then vegetarians (who consume mostly carbs) should be a physical train wreck. But that isn't the case if you look at the studies, at least not for the vegetarians who consume mostly fruits and vegetables and not lots of other carb foods like bread, pasta, etc.
The latest Paleo diet study shows that a person can consume an unlimited amount of fruits and vegetables and still lose weight, lower insulin levels, improve glucose tolerance, etc. So it's not that carbohydrates are bad, it's that any refined carbohydrate or further, any non-fruit, vegetable, or nut-carb should be restricted or eliminated.
I think Gary Taubes comes so frustratingly close in his conclusions, but just misses the mark. He believes that carbohydrates are the reason people are overweight, and that restricting carbohydrates may reverse this.
Howver, there are more than a few holes in this argument. First, in many of the studies he cites in his book, he mentions that carbohydrate-restricted diets don't work for all the participants in the various studies. If restricting carbs was the cure-all, then this wouldn't be happening. Second, he seems to gloss over the high dropout rates in carb-restricted studies. This should be a subject of concern.
Third, if carbs are the problem, then vegetarians (who consume mostly carbs) should be a physical train wreck. But that isn't the case if you look at the studies, at least not for the vegetarians who consume mostly fruits and vegetables and not lots of other carb foods like bread, pasta, etc.
The latest Paleo diet study shows that a person can consume an unlimited amount of fruits and vegetables and still lose weight, lower insulin levels, improve glucose tolerance, etc. So it's not that carbohydrates are bad, it's that any refined carbohydrate or further, any non-fruit, vegetable, or nut-carb should be restricted or eliminated.