Gary Taubes, a reporter/journalist with an Ivy League education, discusses the issues with low-fat diets causing the obesity epidemic. He challenges prevailing beliefs about nutrition and reveals his research findings. The hosts also talk about their book writing progress, the influence of Ivy League education, and flaws in nutritional epidemiology.
The prevailing belief that eating fat causes obesity is not well-supported by scientific evidence, highlighting the importance of understanding hormonal regulation of fat accumulation.
The reduction in fat intake and subsequent increase in carbohydrate consumption may have contributed to the rise in obesity rates.
Understanding the role of insulin in fat storage is crucial in explaining the causes of obesity and how different macronutrients can affect fat accumulation.
Deep dives
The Importance of Pure Vitamins
Pure Vitamin Club emphasizes the importance of vitamins without unnecessary additives, offering a daily multicap with essential vitamins and minerals. The focus is on delivering the nutrients the body needs without any added ingredients. Daily intake of vitamins is crucial for overall health.
Vinny Tortorich and Gary Talbs Discuss Book Writing
In this podcast episode, Vinny Tortorich and Gary Talbs discuss the process of book writing. They share their personal experiences, challenges, and achievements, including the importance of concise writing and the need to make the content accessible to readers.
Understanding Obesity and Dietary Fat
The podcast delves into the controversial topic of obesity and the role of dietary fat. Gary Talbs explains how the prevailing belief that eating fat causes obesity is not well-supported by scientific evidence. He highlights the importance of understanding the hormonal regulation of fat accumulation and emphasizes the need for rigorous research on the subject.
The Shift to Low-Fat Diets and Obesity Epidemic
The podcast explores the shift to low-fat diets initiated in the 1980s and its possible link to the obesity epidemic. Gary Talbs suggests that the reduction in fat intake led individuals to consume more carbohydrates, including refined grains and sugars. The resulting increase in carbohydrate-rich foods may have contributed to the rise in obesity rates.
The Role of Insulin in Fat Storage
Gary Talbs explains the role of insulin in fat storage within the body. He discusses how elevated insulin levels prompt fat cells to store more fat, while decreased insulin levels lead to fat release. He highlights the importance of understanding hormonal regulation in explaining the causes of obesity and how different macronutrients can affect fat accumulation.
Gary Taubes makes a second appearance on the Friday edition of the Angriest Trainer podcast with Vinnie Tortorich. PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS GARY TAUBES & HIS MUST-READS Gary is a reporter/journalist (NY Times) and a controversial guy, has done one of the best interviews in this podcast's history Writing another book currently -- so is Vinnie! Went to Harvard, Stanford, Columbia Ivy League education definitely affected him VINNIE'S READING Reads incredibly slowly but comprehends way more than the average person Scientific brain -- he doesn't assume, he knows Ended up allowing him to not pay attention in class, just read the books NUTRITION WRITING He was doing nutritional pieces for science sections He looked at evidence and saw whether or not it really was supported Gary wrote a controversial article calling out the nutrition world for saying low fat was bad Initially was researching what caused the obesity epidemic? Two hypotheses: high fructose corn syrup, shift to low fat diets LOW FAT DIETS ended up being the issue, clear in his research Even in the 60's, people weren't fat In the early 1900s, only ~1/20 people were obese Only 2 Obese kids in Gary's middle school 60's : baked potato was fattening ; 80's: baked potato was a heart healthy food At first, people didn't realize that high fructose corn syrup was sugar When heart health came into question, fat became (incorrectly) bad, and carbs/sugar became (incorrectly) passable WHY WE GET FAT The general idea is calorie in / calorie out and thermodynamics Just like you can't think of wealth/poverty in terms of money intake vs money spent, you can't think of calories that way either We secrete insulin in response to our carbohydrate intake
Get the Snipd podcast app
Unlock the knowledge in podcasts with the podcast player of the future.
AI-powered podcast player
Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features
Discover highlights
Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode
Save any moment
Hear something you like? Tap your headphones to save it with AI-generated key takeaways
Share & Export
Send highlights to Twitter, WhatsApp or export them to Notion, Readwise & more
AI-powered podcast player
Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features
Discover highlights
Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode