Living Low Carb (79 page)

1
.
Comparison of the Atkins, Zone, Ornish, and LEARN Diets for Change in Weight and Related Risk Factors Among Overweight Premenopausal Women,
The A TO Z Weight Loss Study: A Randomized Trial, Christopher D. Gardner, et al.,
Journal of the American Medical Association
297, no. 9 (2007): 969–977,
http://jama.ama-assn.org/ cgi/content/full/297/9/969
;
http://med.stanford.edu/news_releases/2007/march/diet.html
.

2
. The difference among the three non-Atkins groups was not significant, and the difference between Atkins and either Ornish (4.9 lbs, on average) or LEARN (5.7 lbs, on average) was not significant either.

Chapter 6: The Biggest Myths about Low-Carb Diets

1
. Two recent examples come to mind. One, when Kilmer McCully, MD of Harvard first hypothesized that homocysteine was at least as great a risk factor for heart disease as cholesterol, he was literally ridiculed out of his lab at Harvard. Twenty-five years later, homocysteine tests are routinely performed; homocysteine is widely recognized as a risk factor for heart disease, stroke, and Alzheimer’s; and McCully is back at Harvard. Second example: when Jonas Folkman, MD proposed angiogenesis as a mechanism by which cancer cells were able to thrive, he too was ridiculed, laughed at, and ostracized from the scientific community. (Establishment medicine, contrary to popular belief, does not like mavericks.) Angiogenesis is now widely accepted, and Folkman—now dead—is recognized and acclaimed as the brilliant and innovative pioneer that he was. Doctors, unfortunately, do not always take kindly to those who question their most cherished assumptions (see, for example, how the brilliant scientists who populate the International Network of Cholesterol Skeptics are treated by the conventional medical establishment, most of it documented on their Web site,
http://www.thincs.org
—it’s not pretty).

2
. Anssi H. Manninen, “Metabolic Effects of the Very-Low-Carbohydrate Diets: Misunderstood ‘Villains’ of Human Metabolism,”
Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition
1, no. 2 (2004): 7–11,
http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=2129159
; Ekhard E. Ziegler and L. J. Filer (eds.),
Present Knowledge in Nutrition: Seventh Edition
(Washington: ILSI Press, 1996), chapter 5: Carbohydrates (Szepesi).

3
. Institute of Medicine (IOM) of the National Academies,
Dietary Reference Intakes: Energy, Carbohydrate, Fiber, Fat, Fatty Acids, Cholesterol, Protein, and Amino Acids
(Washington: National Academies Press, 2002);
http://books.nap.edu/openbook
. php?record_id=10490&page=275.

4
. And I don’t mean to imply that the Institute of Medicine thinks we shouldn’t eat them either. They’re simply saying that we appear to be able to survive quite well without them, pointing out: “The amount of dietary carbohydrate that provides for optimal health in humans is unknown.”

5
. Anssi H. Manninen, “Metabolic Effects of the Very-Low-Carbohydrate Diets: Misunderstood ‘Villains’ of Human Metabolism,”
Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition
1, no. 2 (2004): 7–11,
http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=2129159
.

6
. I recently interviewed Eric Kossoff, MD, medical director of the Johns Hopkins ketogenic diet program. Dr. Kossoff has been using both the ketogenic diet and his own version—the Modified Atkins Diet—in his treatment of epilepsy for years. “Most doctors now know it’s an effective therapy” he told me. He also mentioned that he has an adult patient who has been on the ketogenic diet for 27 years. “His cholesterol is better than mine,” he said.

7
. Donald Voet and Judith Voet,
Biochemistry
(New York: John Wiley and Sons, 1998).

8
. Richard L. Veech, et al., “Ketone Bodies: Potential Therapeutic Uses,”
IUBMB Life
51 (2001): 241–247.

9
. Matthew J. Sharman, et al., “A Ketogenic Diet Favorably Affects Serum Biomarkers for Cardiovascular Disease in Normal-Weight Men,”
Journal of Nutrition
132, no. 7 (July 2002): 1879–1885.

10
. Eric C. Westman, et al., “Effect of 6-Month Adherence to a Very Low Carbohydrate Diet Program,”
American Journal of Medicine
133, no. 1 (2002): 30–36.

11
. Bonnie J. Brehm, et al., “A Randomized Trial Comparing a Very Low Carbohydrate Diet and a Calorie-Restricted Low Fat Diet on Body Weight and Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Healthy Women,”
Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism
88, no. 4 (2003): 1617–1623.

12
. Marian T. Hannan, et al., “Effect of Dietary Protein on Bone Loss in Elderly Men and Women: The Framingham Osteoporosis Study,”
Journal of Bone and Mineral Research
15, no. 12 (December 2000): 2504–2512.

13
. Jane E. Kerstetter, et al., “Dietary Protein, Calcium Metabolism, and Skeletal Homeostasis Revisited,”
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
78, no. 3 (September 2003): 584S–592S; Jane E. Kerstetter, et al., “Dietary Protein Affects Intestinal Calcium Absorption,”
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
68, no. 4 (1998): 859–865.

14
. Ibid.

15
. Annebeth Rosenvinge Skov, et al., “Effect of Protein Intake on Bone Mineralization During Weight Loss: A 6-Month Trial,”
Obesity Research
10 (2002): 432–438.

16
. Robert P. Heaney, “Editorial: Protein and Calcium: Antagonists or Synergists?,”
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
75, no. 4 (April 2002): 609–610.

17
. Eric L. Knight, et al., “The Impact of Protein Intake on Renal Function Decline in Women with Normal Renal Function or Mild Renal Insufficiency,”
Annals of Internal Medicine
138 (2003): 460–467.

18
. Thomas B. Wiegmann, et al., “Controlled Changes in Chronic Dietary Protein Intake Do Not Change Glomerular Filtration Rate,”
American Journal of Kidney Diseases
15, no. 2 (February 1990): 147–154.

19
. Annebeth Rosenvinge Skov, et al., “Changes in Renal Function During Weight Loss Induced by High- vs. Low-Protein Low-Fat Diets in Overweight Subjects,”
International Journal of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders
23, no. 11 (November 1999): 1170–1177.

20
. Marjorie R. Freedman, et al., “Popular Diets: A Scientific Review,”
Obesity Research
9 suppl. (2001): 5S–17S.

21
. Stephen B. Sondike, et al., “Effects of a Low-Carbohydrate Diet on Weight Loss and Cardiovascular Risk Factor in Overweight Adolescents,”
Journal of Pediatrics
142, no. 3 (March 2003): 253–258.

22
. Gary D. Foster, et al., “A Randomized Trial of a Low-Carbohydrate Diet for Obesity,”
New England Journal of Medicine
348, no. 21 (May 22, 2003): 2082–2090; Frederick F. Samaha, et al., “A Low-Carbohydrate as Compared with a Low-Fat Diet in Severe Obesity,”
New England Journal of Medicine
348, no. 21 (May 22, 2003): 2074–2081.

23
. Alain Golay, et al., “Weight-Loss with Low or High Carbohydrate Diet?”
International Journal of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders
20, no. 12 (December 1996): 1067– 1072.

24
. Alain Golay, et al., “Similar Weight Loss with Low- or High-Carbohydrate Diets,”
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
63, no. 2 (February 1996): 174–178.

25
. Walter C. Willett, “Dietary Fat Plays a Major Role in Obesity: No,”
Obesity Reviews
3, no. 2 (May 2002): 59–68.

26
. Walter C. Willett and Rudolph L. Leibel, “Dietary Fat Is Not a Major Determinant of Body Fat,”
American Journal of Medicine
113, suppl. 9B (December 30, 2002): 47S–59S.

27
. Jackie L. Boucher, et al., “Weight Loss, Diets, and Supplements: Does Anything Work?,”
Diabetes Spectrum
14, no. 3 (August 2001): 169–175.

28
. Ibid.

29
. John S. Yudkin, “Diet and Coronary Thrombosis: Hypothesis and Fact,”
Lancet
2 (1957): 155–162.

30
. Uffe Ravnskov,
The Cholesterol Myths
(Washington: New Trends, 2000).

31
. Malcolm Kendrick, “Why the Cholesterol-Heart Disease Theory Is Wrong,”
http://www.redflagsweekly.com/kendrick/2002_nov28.html
(November 28, 2002).

32
. Ancel Keys, “Letter: Normal Plasma Cholesterol in a Man Who Eats 25 Eggs a Day,”
New England Journal of Medicine
325, no. 8 (August 22, 1991): 584.

33
. Eugene Braunwald, “Shattuck Lecture: Cardiovascular Medicine at the Turn of the Millennium: Triumphs, Concerns, and Opportunities,”
New England Journal of Medicine
337, no. 19 (November 6, 1997): 1360–1369.

34
. Ian A. Prior, et al., “Cholesterol, Coconuts, and Diet on Polynesian Atolls: A Natural Experiment: The Pukapuka and Tokelau Island Studies,”
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
34, no. 8 (August 1981): 1552–1561.

35
. Alberto Ascherio and Walter C. Willett, “Health Effects of
Trans
Fatty Acids,”
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
66, suppl. 4 (October 1997): 1006S–1010S.

36
. Mary G. Enig,
Know Your Fats: The Complete Primer for Understanding the Nutrition of Fats, Oils and Cholesterol
(Brookhaven, Penn.: Bethesda Press, 2000).

37
. Ibid.

38
. Gary Taubes, “The Soft Science of Dietary Fat,”
Science
291 (March 30, 2001): 2536.

39
. Darlene M. Dreon, et al., “A Very-Low-Fat Diet Is Not Associated with Improved Lipoprotein Profiles in Men with a Predominance of Large, Low-Density Lipoproteins,”
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
69, no. 3 (March 1999): 411–418.

40
. J. Michael Gaziano, “Fasting Triglycerides, High-Density Lipoprotein, and Risk of Myocardial Infarction,”
Circulation
96 (1997): 2520–2525.

41
. Dean Ornish, et al., “Intensive Lifestyle Changes for Reversal of Coronary Heart Disease,”
Journal of the American Medical Association
280, no. 23 (December 16, 1998): 2001–2007.

42
. Alberto Ascherio and Walter C. Willett, “Health Effects of
Trans
Fatty Acids,”
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
66, suppl. 4 (October 1997): 1006S–1010S.

43
. Alberto Ascherio, et al., “Dietary Fat and Risk of Coronary Heart Disease in Men:Cohort Follow Up Study in The United States,”
British Medical Journal
313 (13 July 1996): 84–90.

44
. Alain Golay, et al., “Weight-Loss with Low or High Carbohydrate Diet?”
International Journal of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders
20, no. 12 (December 1996): 1067–1072.

Chapter 7: Thirty-Eight (Mostly) Low-Carb Diets and What They Can Do for You

1
. Marjorie R. Freedman, et al., “Popular Diets: A Scientific Review,”
Obesity Research
9 suppl. (2001): 5S–17S.

2
. Kathleen DesMaisons, personal communication with author, August 2003.

3
. Beatrice A. Golomb, et al., “Insulin Sensitivity Markers: Predictors of Accidents and Suicides in Helsinki Heart Study Screenees,”
Journal of Clinical Epidemiology
55, no. 8 (August 2002): 767–773.

4
. Calvin Ezrin, with Kristen L. Caron,
Your Fat Can Make You Thin
(Lincolnwood, Ill.: Contemporary Books, 2001).

5
. David Leonardi, personal communication with author, August 2003; Richard K.Bernstein,
The Diabetes Solution
(New York: Little, Brown, 1997), 43.

6
. Loren Cordain, “Cereal Grains: Humanity’s Double-Edged Sword,” in Artemis P.Simopoulos (ed.),
Evolutionary Aspects of Nutrition and Health. Diet, Exercise, Genetics and Chronic Disease.
Basel: Karger,
World Review of Nutrition and Dietetics
84 (1999), 19–73,
http://www.thepaleodiet.com/articles/Cereal%20article.pdf
.

7. Michael R. Eades and Mary Dan Eades,
The 30-Day Low-Carb Diet Solution
(New York: John Wiley and Sons, 2002): 11.

8
. P. Webb, “The Measurement of Energy Exchange in Man: An Analysis,”
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
33, no. 6 (1980): 1299–1310.

Chapter 8: My Big Fat Diet: The Town That Lost 1200 Pounds

1
. Mary Bissell,
My Big Fat Diet
(documentary film),
http://www.mybigfatdiet.net
.

2
. Cassandra E. Forsythe, Stephen D. Phinney, et al., “Comparison of Low Fat and Low Carbohydrate Diets on Circulating Fatty Acid Composition and Markers of Inflammation,”
Lipids
43, no.1 (January 2008): 65–77.

3
. No author given (“Adapted from materials provided by Suny Downstate Medical Center”), “Low-Carb Diet Reduces Inflammation and Blood Saturated Fat in Metabolic Syndrome,”
Science Daily
Web site, December 4, 2007,
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071203091236.htm
.

4
. Stuart G. Jarrett, Julie B. Milder, et al., “The Ketogenic Diet Increases Mitochondrial Glutathione Levels,”
Journal of Neurochemistry
106, no. 3 (August 2008): 1044-1051.

Chapter 9: Supplements and Diet Drugs

1
. C. Wilhelm, “Growing the Market for Anti-Obesity Drugs,”
Chemical Market Reporter
(May 15, 2000).

2
. Steven R. Peikin,
The Complete Book of Diet Drugs
(New York: Kensington, 2000), 62;
Physicians’ Desk Reference,
55th ed. (Montvale, N.J.: Medical Economics, 2001).