The #1 Cause of Obesity: Insulin

While I can agree that some things might not be 100% right but I think the theory is compelling and the "rather unlikely" and "it mays" of the passage you quoted don't do anything to disprove it rather show that there's probably more to it--not that it doesn't have any merit.

I do appreciate the links highlighting the opposing point of view though. Thanks for sharing.

This is true but the jury is still out on whether or not saturated fat causes heart disease the second leading cause of death in America. A low fat plant based diet is the only diet proven to reverse heart disease.
You have to choose heart disease or diabetes you cant win these days

There's nothing supporting the theory that saturated fats cause heart disease that hasn't been discredited (that I'm aware of) and the Ornish diet I assume you're talking about was a low fat and low carb. Saturated fats are not bad for you!

How many of them matched calories and protein? Metabolic ward studies (self reported data is ridiculously unreliable). Get back to me when you read and understand what the studies are saying.

Show us a list of studies that meet your standards and show that low carb diets are worse please ? Seems to me they either come out better or the same,

I don't see why calories and protein should be matched, if a low carb diet has more protein than a high carb diet that's part of the story - comparing A with B.

Likewise if people can happily eat 1200 calories on a self selected low carb diet but are sawing their fingers off on 1600 calories of high carb diet is this not an argument in favour of the low carb diet as well ?

I happen to agree that reasonably high protein and calorie control are important aspects, but if we're looking for a comparison between the **** people eat normally and something that will take weight off their overhanging gut we just need something that works, for whatever reason.

I'm not convinced insulin is the cause of obesity, but it inhibits lipolysis so when trying to lose weight the less of it the better.

Did I hear someone say Lustig?

I'll start with this. http://www.alanaragonblog.com/2010/01/29/the-bitter-truth-about-fructose-alarmism/

Ok, now that that's out of the way. Insulin has pretty much nothing to do with obesity.

Does insulin prevent lipolysis? No. Does it reduce lipolysis? Of course it does, you've just eaten. When you eat food, your body uses the food for energy first, and only goes back to relying on lipolysis after the food has been fully digested and utilized. Leptin (the hormone that signals satiety) has also been shown to limit lipolysis. As has every other hormone that has to do with satiety.

Does insulin shuttle glucose directly to fat storage? NO. Absolutely not. Glucose is almost NEVER stored as fat. Insulin's primary job is to transport glucose to muscle cells and vital organs for normal body function. 87% of the fat in an adipose cell comes from lipids, not triglycerides.

Insulin is a key hormone in muscle building and maintenance. It has well over 100 functions in the human body, fat storage is nowhere near the top of the list.

And how do you care to explain protein eliciting high insulin responses? Protein and carbohydrates both spike insulin to similar levels when you eat. If insulin is what makes us fat, then protein must be just as bad as carbs.

The entire argument is based on fear, and a hope that the person they are trying to convince has a lack of understanding of human biology. The insulin hypothesis just doesn't stand up to actual facts.

As for low carb vs higher carb. They both cause weight loss due to a calorie deficit. Protein should always be constant, regardless of carb level. And then "weight loss" is a misleading term. Low carb diets lead to much higher losses of water weight, due to the reduction of stored glycogen in the muscles. Fat loss is identical, regardless of carb level.

Tagging for further reading on the unicorn studies cited.