As for Junk Food Science, the blog lives up to the name. Sugar’s harmless, huh?

Do you feel better now having gotten all that off your chest? Feel free to rant here any time.

MRE

It was the AHA that convinced me that the Atkins diet was not only safe, but it was better than their own diet. This was reported a tad over 5 years ago. Shortly after the news report I resolved to begin the Atkins diet. What dissapointed me was how they played down Atkins and said something like ” More studies need to be made so don’t just jump into it”. A few weeks later, Dr A was interviewed by Larry King. He was being congratulated for being right after all these years. Then he dies a few months later from what the media wants us to believe was obesity. I learned then not to trust the media. Recently there was a report on the news about the dangers of the Atkins Diet, I forget what it was about but I wrote the news station that ran the story. I asked them why would they run a study on this diet about how it proved safe and it didn’t contribute to heart disease then a few month’s later say that it was dangerous. They both can’t be true.

The study I read in Web MD on prostate cancer used the word “no carb”, which I thought the medical world was beyond that terminology. This study really caught my attention since prostate cancer runs in my husband’s family. My husband is consuming fewer carbohydrates then he did 5 years ago but I hope this encourages him to become a little stricter.

The truth about that glorified poison, carbohydrates, is important information to the public that gets muffled in newsroom techno-babble. I pick and choose my information according to what I already know and grit my teeth through everything else. I am grateful to your blog Dr. Mike.

Thanks,
Mary

Thank you for reading. Mary.

MRE

“They compared tumor growth in mice eating either a low-carbohydrate diet; a low-fat but high-carbohydrate diet; or a Western diet high in fat and carbohydrates.

Mice fed the low-carbohydrate diet had the smallest tumor size and longest survival, the team found.

“”Low-fat mice had shorter survival and large tumors , while mice on the Western diet had the worst survival and biggest tumors. In addition, though both the low-carb and low-fat mice had lower levels of insulin, only the low-carb mice had lower levels of the form of IGF capable of stimulating tumor growth,” Freedland said.”

This is a completely reasonable and predictable outcome that is consistent with the diseases associated with the Western diet.

Hi David–

MRE

In a previous comment Dusty recommended this blog: http://junkfoodscience.blogspot.com
by Sandy Szwarc BSN, RN, CCP. She wrote on 10/27/07:

“Similarly, many believe that only carbohydrates in the diet stimulate insulin production and that high-carb diets are responsible for obesity and illness, but this is a “a very undeserved reputation based on false and twisted truths,” explains Kathy Goodwin, R.D. “The truth is that all ingested foods stimulate insulin production.” And even population studies completely contradict such fears, she said. In Japan, for instance, high carb foods like white rice [with a GI higher than pure sucrose] is a daily staple, yet Japan “has one of the lowest rates of obesity, heart disease, cancer and diabetes in the world.” Again and again, the science supports there being nothing magical in the foods we eat or that there is one perfect diet.”

Your comments?

Laurel

I said that I enjoyed this blog from time to tiem, not that I agreed with everything that appears in it. The quote you sent is typical R.D. swill.

MRE

Here’s a very appropriate Dilbert:

http://news.yahoo.com/comics/071031/cx_dilbert_umedia/20073110

Laurel

Perfect!!!!

When I tell people that I’m doing low carb, they all want to rip me apart. I have to explain to them that I am not killing myself. There is plenty of scientific evidence to back me up, but unless I can actually do a sit-down with them, to calmly explain, rather than use sound-bites, this stuff keeps coming back. I’ve finally got my wife convinced, but there are always well-meaning, but completely clueless family members that have to argue with me.

Hi Tony–

MRE

“There have been a lot of articles about Pakistan recently. Most reporters don’t know zilch about Pakistan but if that’s where the action is, reporters have to find out and write something about it. That’s what reporters do — they write about things no one knows anything about — including themselves sometimes.”

I would venture to say the same applies to health issues, as well.

Speaking of Mehmet Oz, I caught a teaser for an upcoming Oprah show a few weeks back and the guy was wearing scrubs while sitting on stage talking with Oprah. I don’t know about anyone else, but that just sets my teeth on edge. Unless he just came straight from the OR, wearing scrubs on stage just seems a tad too bit charlatanish in my opinion. What’s wrong with dressing like the professional that he supposingly is?

Hi Esther–

MRE

There’s a specialty food hall near I shop at in Manhattan that makes sublime fresh salsa out of tomatoes, onion, cilantro and spices — uncooked, very spicy. (For a vegetable-disliker like me, a good way to get some tomatoes into me.) I thought I’d have to give it up when I started low-carbing again because of course I used to eat it with tortilla chips. But I bought these Soy Crisps as a salsa delivery system, and have been careful to count out a serving of 15-20 chips and count the carbs. I also measure my urine daily and am in ketosis. But I have a vague sense that soy products can be problematic, though I’m not sure how or why. Do you have any pointers or opinions to offer about using these snacks?

Hi herself_nyc–

MRE

Hi LC–

MRE

They won’t because then they would be turning down free publicity for the next time. How many reporters will show up at AMA, APHA or APA if they know they will be discredited for bias reporting?

Also, if the perception is that a scientists work is important because it produces headline grabbing media (even if the stories are incorrect or massively overreaching) that will help keep the grant dollars flowing. Nothing kills a research program faster than irrelevancy. It is almost a guarantee that whomever reviews the next research grant from this group will have heard about this article and will give the team more credence because of it.

Finally, free publicity for this guy is also free publicity for Maryland…People who want better lab space, another post-doc or spare change for pilot studies will be much more likely to get them when their work is seen as helpful for building the University’s reputation as a clinical research power.

Hi Cecelia–

MRE