These are the ‘inescapable conclusions’ stemming from the research completed by Gary Taubes in his book Good Calories, Bad Calories:
- Dietary fat does not cause obesity, heart disease or other chronic diseases.
- Refined carbohydrates, through insulin secretion, do.
- Sugars, especially those including fructose, are particularly harmful.
- Refined carbohydrates are the dietary cause of heart disease and diabetes. They are the most likely (but not only) dietary cases of cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, and other chronic diseases.
- Obesity is not caused by overeating or sedentary behavior.
- Calorie restriction does not cause long-term weight loss, it causes hunger.
- Fattening and obesity are caused by a hormonal imbalance, which can be driven by diet (e.g. insulin secretion).
- Insulin is the primary regulator of fat storage.
- Carbohydrate intake drives insulin, and is therefore proportional to our body composition.
- Carbohydrates also increase hunger and decrease energy.