On Thu, 19 Oct 2000, Dori Zook wrote:

> Her basic conclusion is that "weight loss is independent of dietary
> composition" (her words).  Translation; it's the calories, stupid.  However,
> a few sentences later, she admitted that "people who 'self-select' low-carb
> diets tend to reduce energy intake"(her words).  This literally means they
> eat less calories.

Somebody should also tell her to look at the few studies that
track *fat* loss, as opposed to just weight loss.  Indeed, if the
USDA study doesn't do that it is worthless.  It is body
composition changes that we should be after.

Her "self-selection" point may be valid, however.  The people who
self-select low-carb diets may do so because they instinctively
feel better on them, and thus have better appetite control.  A
similar phenomenon may be at work with other kinds of diets,
where self-selection is involved.

> Have you done the math yet?  She admitted more than once that studies have
> shown the benefits of a meat-based diet (lower triglycerides, for one) and
> that people who use them eat fewer calories, overall, than those who don't.
> Yet she endorsed AHA dietary guidelines which tout the benefits of high
> complex carb intake.  Do with it what you wish.

Obviously she's going to argue that whatever value low-carb diets
have is mainly a result of caloric reduction.  She thinks you can
get comparable or better results from the same caloric reduction
in a higher-carb diet.  She chooses to ignore the variable of the
difficulty of sustaining the caloric reduction (for some people)
on the higher-carb diet.

Todd Moody
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