Study Shows that Kids That Eat More Fat Are Less Obese

When will people learn that the old addage you are what you eat is complete bull? I mean, if I eat tomatoes does that mean I will turn red? It is by this same logic that many human minds have fallen into the false beleif that eating fat makes you fat. I am grateful I have been feeding my kids their bacon and eggs (hold the toast), walnuts, and cream laden protein shake on special occasions. At least this study gives me some hope that people will finally catch on that in my opinion our genetic heritage is one of a fat burning machine. It is my opinion that a 70% fat diet, 20 % protein, and 5% carb (from green leafy vegetables) is about as optimal as it gets (note: the body has multiple mechanisms for raising blood sugar, but only one for loowering it--insulin, this anecdotal evidence leads me to deduce we were never meant to have the gluttony of carbs associated with grains).

The saddest part of the article is right in the beginning when we get a glimpse into the sad mind set of our most current dietician researchers who are still held by this "you are what you eat" nonsense:

Researcher Malin Haglund Garemo, a dietician from Gothenburg University in Sweden, said that more studies are planned to investigate if obesity was being caused by an early increase in insulin, and not fat.

"Such results would go against the common perception that fat causes increased insulin production as a result of insulin resistance," she said.

If I could ask Malin just one question it would be what are you talking about? Fat causes increased insulin production??? The precise reason a high fat diet is beneficial is because it DOES NOT cause insulin production--carbs cause a large degree of insulin production as they convert to glucose (some like potatoes convert almost as fast as eating a candy bar), protein also is also convertable by the body and hence when I eat it I have to take insulin to cover the glucose (it is much less and slower then carbohydrate conversion to glucose). Anyhow, not sure exactly what she is even referring to--I really hope she isn't referrin gto her own "common perception".

In a sad but related story a UK mom may lose her son due to his obesity. In my opinion, if there is gross negligence with regards to childhood nutrition then step one should be educating the parent and then if they continue to disregard you might have a case for taking the child away. But this is the kicker, what would they educate the parent to do? Most likely they would stick with their own bad advise of low fat and high carb (grains, pasta, etc.) and with a child as shown in that article I would assume there is already a high degree of sensitivity to insulin and wouldn't be surprised if he did just as bad on a low fat diet unless you went to extremes and starved him calorically.

Lastly, there is the following related story out of Sweden's The Local which speaks the younger and younger age at which Type 2 diabetes is being diagnosed in Sweden:

Young children suffering with Type-2, or adult-onset, diabetes have been discovered in Sweden for the first time.

"We are already seeing the early signs of adult-onset diabetes in five year olds," said professor Claude Marcus, head of the National Centre for Child Obesity in Huddinge, to Svenska Dagbladet.

"That means reduced sensitivity to insulin and evident effects on the blood vessels. It's very serious because Type-2 diabetes is an illness which affects the whole system."

This form of diabetes, which is non-insulin-dependent, is becoming increasingly widespread in developed countries.

Some 1.2 percent of children at the centre in Huddinge have been shown to have Type-2 diabetes. The first case of adult-onset diabetes in a Swedish teenager was recorded just two years ago.

Putting the dots together shouldn't be as hard as it is being made out to be by the scientific community. Our genes were not meant to be overridden with processed sugars, refined flours (or perhaps grains in any form), etc. I beleive high fat, low carb (in the form of green leafy vegetables and non root vegetables), with a moderate amount of natural protein (fish, fowl, meat) is the solution--and this is just basic common sense and deduction--why is it so hard for the scientific community to even acknoledge they may have gone very awry. Seems to take too long for it to correct major errors. An analysis of how and why they have gotten so wrong would be a book unto itself and I think would be an interestin root cause analysis for the scientific process in general.

For anyone interested in learning more about the myths that eating fat makes you fat and how this myth exploded into our collective consciousness take a look at Anthony Colpo's The Great Cholesterol Con or The Cholesterol Myths : Exposing the Fallacy that Saturated Fat and Cholesterol Cause Heart Disease.

For diabetics interested in exploring a low carbohydrate approach to treating diabetes AND for feeding your kids browse around D-solve which has tons of low carb links.