Opinion | Carbohydrates, not calories, may be blame for obesity - The Washington Post

Opinion | Carbohydrates, not calories, may be blame for obesity - The Washington Post: So%20what%20if%20the%20focus%20on%20calories%20and%20energy%20balance%20is%20simply%20wrong%2C%20reversing%20cause%20and%20effect%3F%20Writing%20in%20the%20European%20Journal%20of%20Clinical%20Nutrition%20this%20week%2C%20my%20co-authors%20%u2014%20researchers%2C%20physicians%2C%20public%20health%20experts%20%u2014%20and%20I%20argue%20that%20overeating%20isn%u2019t%20the%20primary%20cause%20of%20obesity.%20Instead%2C%20the%20process%20of%20gaining%20weight%20causes%20us%20to%20overeat.%0AThis%20is%20a%20different%20model%20of%20obesity%2C%20the%20carbohydrate-insulin%20model.%20This%20theory%20puts%20the%20blame%20for%20rising%20levels%20of%20obesity%20on%20the%20processed%2C%20fast-digesting%20carbs%20that%20flooded%20our%20diets%20during%20the%20low-fat%20diet%20craze%20%u2014%20white%20bread%2C%20white%20rice%2C%20prepared%20breakfast%20cereals%2C%20potato%20products%20and%20sugary%20foods.%20It%20posits%20that%20consumption%20of%20these%20carbohydrates%20raises%20insulin%20levels%20too%20high%20and%20produces%20other%20hormonal%20changes%20that%20program%20our%20body%20to%20store%20extra%20fat.%0ALooked%20at%20this%20way%2C%20obesity%20isn%u2019t%20an%20overeating%20problem%2C%20it%u2019s%20a%20calorie%20distribution%20problem%20%u2014%20too%20many%20calories%20from%20each%20meal%20being%20siphoned%20off%20into%20fat%20tissue%20and%20too%20few%20remaining%20in%20the%20blood%20to%20satisfy%20the%20energy%20needs%20of%20the%20body.%20Consequently%2C%20our%20brains%20make%20us%20feel%20hungrier%20sooner%20after%20eating%20to%20compensate%20for%20those%20sequestered%20calories.%20If%20we%20try%20to%20ignore%20hunger%20and%20restrict%20calories%2C%20the%20body%20conserves%20energy%20by%20slowing%20metabolism.%20In%20this%20sense%2C%20obesity%20is%20a%20state%20of%20starvation%20amid%20plenty.%0A