Carbs Again! Aghhhh!

Carbs make you fat. Carbs make you thin. This is the kind of stuff that makes us crazy and it isn't over yet.

The January 19, 2004 issue of Newsweek featured the carb debate, with an excellent article by Dr. Walter Willett, the Chairman of the Department of Nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health. Deep in the article is a reference to a Boston Children's Hospital study of overweight teenagers. The group that lost the most weight was on an all-you-want (i.e. no calorie restrictions) diet that emphasized fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Carbs were about 45% of overall calorie intake. The group that got typical weight-loss advice about restricting calories and fat ate more carbs and lost less weight.

The January 26, 2004 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine published a study in which a group of seniors assigned to a high-carb (63% of calories), low-fat (18% of calories), normal protein diet with no calorie restrictions (eat-all-you-want) lost more weight than the control group diet, which was also not calorie restricted. (The group that lost the most was high-carb plus exercise.) All of the participants in this small study had blood sugar problems, which according to low-carb diet theory should have made them susceptible to weight gain from carbs. The high carb group was also given fiber supplements so that their total fiber intake was 60 grams per day. (The general recommendation is at least 20-30 grams of fiber/day.)

In both the studies, fiber intake was highest in the groups that lost the most weight. The kids ate whole grains, fruits and vegetables, which are fiber sources, while the seniors got supplements to make sure they consumed a high fiber content. In both studies, the high fiber groups ate all they wanted, didn't feel hungry, and lost the most weight. A few years ago, the USDA found that increasing fiber intake with a meal causes a reduction in calorie absorption.

Why aren't the headlines trumpeting the fiber content in the successful weight loss diets instead of the carbs?

This from the Feb. 24, 2004 Minneapolis Star Tribune: Fiber from whole grains and fruit are heart protective - reducing your chances of dying from heart disease 25-30%. These fibers are largely missing from the low-carb Atkins regime but are present in the exemplary South Beach Diet.

Bottom line: natural food advocates have said all along that whole food is best. Go ahead, eat fiber rich whole grain bread, brown rice, whole grain pasta, oatmeal, whole grain cereals, beans and fruit, and be sure that your veggie intake isn't just potatoes. You'll be healthier, feel better and look better for it.