Christmas wishes and some weight loss research

Wishing my SMN Graduates a very happy Christmas. Since January is dieting season, I thought you would like a link to the latest thoughts by researchers on weight control. Things are really changing in that world, and I’m not sure it’s all for the better. A lot of people online are cutting out beans, lentils, fruit and whole-grains because the low-carb and keto book authors have told them to. Some of these authors are cardiologists! You would think they had some common-sense, but apparently it’s too tempting to make a buck or two…

Here’s a paper about the low-fat vs. low-carb debate. Researchers are starting to look at specific fatty acids rather than just the saturated/monounsaturated/polyunsaturated labels.

DiNicolantonio JJ, O’Keefe JH. Good Fats versus Bad Fats: A Comparison of Fatty Acids in the Promotion of Insulin Resistance, Inflammation, and Obesity. Mo Med. 2017;114(4):303-307.
Recently, debate has erupted in both the scientific community and throughout the lay public around whether a low-fat or low-carbohydrate diet is better for weight loss. In other words, is it better to cut fat or cut carbohydrate for weight loss. However, going beyond this debate (fat versus carbohydrate), are questions around whether certain fatty acids are worse for promoting insulin resistance, inflammation, and obesity. The overall evidence in the literature suggests that medium-chain saturated fats (such as lauric acid, found in coconut oil) and monounsaturated fat (oleic acid, found in olive oil) are less likely to promote insulin resistance, inflammation, and fat storage compared to long-chain saturated fatty acids (such as stearic acid found in large quantities in butter, but particularly palmitic acid found in palm oil) especially when consumed on top of a diet moderate in refined carbohydrates. Compared to long-chain saturated fats, lauric acid and oleic acid have an increased fatty acid oxidation rate, are more likely to be burned for energy and less likely to be stored in adipose tissue, and thus promote increased energy expenditure. Omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), such as linoleic acid, as found in vegetable oils may contribute to obesity, whereas omega-3 PUFA may be protective. Importantly, both olive oil as part of a Mediterranean diet, and omega-3 from fish and fish oil have been proven to reduce risk of cardiovascular (CV) events.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6140086/