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WHICH? magazine doesn't test low-carb diets — but rules on them anyway!
Balancing the Books
In its May 2001 edition, the Consumers' Association
Which?
magazine 'tested' fourteen of the top selling diet books to determine which
diets were best for weight loss. Their aim, they said, was to help their
readers "find a sensible diet that helps you lose weight healthily and keep it
off".
If you were testing a diet, how would you go about it?
To help answer that question, let's consider another product that
Which?
might test — vacuum cleaners.
To give meaningful results on which a recommendation
could be based, on what criteria would you expect them to be measured:
- How well they pick up dust and dirt?
- How easy the bags are to change?
- would you actually test them in a real-life situation?
- Would you run them over carpets and floors to see if the picked up dust?
- Would you see how much dirt the bags would hold before they had to be changed?
I imagine that your answer is yes?
That is not what happened in the case of the diet tests.
Let's assume that the Dyson bagless vacuum cleaner was being tested for the
first time against other, more conventional vacuum cleaners using the criteria
laid down for the diet test and you will see what I mean.
The Dyson was unlike any other vacuum cleaner at that
time -- it didn't have a bag. Nevertheless, it was by far the best vacuum
cleaner. But if it had been tested using the criteria used for the diet test,
the Dyson would have been thrown out as worthless.
You don't believe me? Here is what actually happened.
The Which? criteria to test a slimming diet
In HOW TO SPOT A GOOD WEIGHT LOSS PROGRAMME Which? say that any plan should be "based on healthy guidelines (see 'Being Sensible', below)"
| BEING SENSIBLE | |
Aim to:
|
Take regular exercise An active person burns more energy than someone seated all day. Research shows that people who increase and stick to regular activity are more likely to maintain any weight loss. Sensible exercise programmes advise on safety issues, especially for those with mobility or health problems, and the importance of activity for weight management and health. They should explain how to fit increased exercise in with normal activities. Programmes should start gently, and become more challenging over time. The ultimate aim should be to spend around 30 minutes, five times a week engaged in activity which leaves you warm and slightly out of breath. |
And having set the criteria,
Which?
didn't bother to test the diets on anyone — they just looked to see if they
followed 'healthy' guidelines.
And low-carb, high-fat diets like that recommended in
Eat Fat, Get Thin!
don't — for the simple reason that it is these so-called ' healthy eating'
guidelines that have caused the dramatic increase in overweight and obesity we
see walking around our streets today. So why would I want to recommend it?
LOW CARBOHYDRATE DIETS
Which?
says of low carb diets:
"
In theory
These diets claim to change the way the body deals with food. They argue that
people are overweight because carbohydrates in the diet cause too much insulin
in the blood. Insulin is a hormone produced in the pancreas which helps us to
use and store energy. The diets reduce insulin levels by restricting the amount
of sugary and starchy foods — or carbohydrates — in meals. So instead of eating
these, eat more sources of protein such as meat, fish, cheese or eggs and
non-starchy vegetables.
"The principles of these diets are not in line with
healthy eating guide-lines. However much insulin you have in your blood, your
body won't store fat unless you eat too much for your needs. What's more,
there's evidence that obesity causes the body to over-produce insulin.
[NOTE 1]
There's no scientific proof that long-term loss of body fat can be achieved
other than by eating fewer calories than your body needs,[
NOTE 2]
and there's evidence that much initial weight loss is water. So any weight loss
with this diet is due to eating fewer calories than needed. Diets allowing less
than 50g to l00g (2oz to 4oz) of carbohydrates a day can cause the body to
break down fat differently to produce fuel known as ketones.
[NOTE 3]
High levels of ketones in the blood cause ketosis which is not a normal state
for the body.
[NOTE 4]
It can give people unpleasant side effects such as bad breath, nausea and an
unpleasant taste in the mouth. Low-carbohydrate diets can also lack fibre.
[NOTE 5]
The diets are also higher in protein than healthy eating guidelines recommend.
They are not recommended for general use."
So
Which?
has decided that low-carb, high-fat diets don't work — and it has managed to
determine this without doing any tests at all. But of course low-carb, high-fat
diets do work — and spectacularly well too.
In which case, can one afford to trust what Which? says about other products?
NOTES
1.
Which?
has got it the wrong way round. It is overproduction of insulin that causes
obesity.
2. Yes there is. Many studies have shown that a high-fat diet is better for
weight loss than a low-fat diet. They are detailed in my book. And my family
has been living this way for nearly 40 years.
3. This is correct but ketones are a much better fuel than glucose - the heart
uses them exclusively.
4. Only if you are starving or reduce carbs to below 20 grams.
Eat Fat, Get Thin!
recommends a minimum of 60 grams.
5. No they don't. There is plenty of fibre in fruit and vegetables, which are
allowed in this way of eating. It does severely restrict cereal fibre (bran)
— but as
this is implicated in bowel cancer
, is that such a bad thing?
Last updated 18 July 2001
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