Searching for the secret to weight loss? If you’ve been following us here at Build for awhile, you’ve probably seen mention of insulin sensitivity as a contributing factor behind weight gain/inability to lose weight for some people. While this may certainly be the case for some people who are struggling with their weight, we know that there are many moving pieces to the weight loss/gain picture.
As Dr. Attia recently talked about in this article, the carbohydrate-insulin model (CIM) is only part of the picture.
According to the carbohydrate-insulin model (CIM), a high-carbohydrate diet causes insulin levels to rise, which leads to more calories being stored as fat. This results in a reduced availability of fuels for cells to use, creating a state of low energy. In this state, energy expenditure decreases, and the desire to eat increases, which can create a cycle that ultimately leads to obesity.
However as Dr. Attia shows, we still don’t fully understand the detailed connections between insulin, increased fat storage, and decreased energy expenditure.
The article talks about a particular study that looked at how different types of food affect the way our bodies use energy. The study focused on carbohydrates and fats, and whether they have different effects on how many calories we burn. The researchers wanted to see if a high-carbohydrate diet leads to less energy being burned and more calories being stored as fat, which could contribute to weight gain.
The study involved 27 participants who went through a weight loss phase and then were assigned to one of three diets: high-carbohydrate (60% of daily calories coming from carbs), moderate-carbohydrate (40%), or low-carbohydrate (20%). The researchers took samples of fat tissue from the participants to measure how well their cells were producing energy.
The results showed that the high-carbohydrate group had lower rates of energy production in their fat cells compared to the other groups. However, all groups showed some increase in energy production compared to their initial levels. This means that something other than carbohydrates might have influenced the results, and the differences between the groups were not significant.
Overall, this study suggests that the type of food we eat might affect how our fat cells produce energy. However, it doesn’t provide strong evidence that a high-carbohydrate diet directly causes weight gain. It’s important to remember that weight loss or weight gain is influenced by many factors, including overall calorie intake, physical activity, and individual differences.
In conclusion, while this study gives us some insights into how different foods may impact our energy use, it’s just one piece of the puzzle. To fully understand weight loss and weight gain, more research is needed to consider all the complex factors involved.
I wish there was a simple cut & dry answer as much as you do when it comes to weight loss. Until we have that, we’ll keep on encouraging what we do know – which is to focus on the quantity, quality, and timing of what we eat, because (somehow) it does matter!
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Source:
https://peterattiamd.com/carbohydrate-load-and-fat-storage/?utm_source=weekly-newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=230611-NL-carbohydrateloadandfatstorage&utm_content=230611-NL-carbohydrateloadandfatstorage-email-subs&mc_cid=d9e314495f&mc_eid=499ed7280b