Category: David Ludwig

15-year study shows strong link between fast food, obesity and insulin resistance

December 30, 2004

Researchers have shown a correlation between fast food, weight gain, and insulin resistance in what appears to be the first long-term study on this subject. The Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study by Mark Pereira, Ph.D., assistant professor in epidemiology, University of Minnesota School of Public Health, and David Ludwig, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Obesity Program at Children's Hospital Boston, reported that fast food increases the risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes. The results of this 15-year study will be published in the Jan. 1 issue of The Lancet.

A calorie is a calorie? Maybe not

November 24, 2004

Preliminary data suggest that weight-loss diets may be more effective when dieters seek to reduce glycemic load -- the amount their blood glucose rises after a meal -- rather than limit fat intake. The findings indicate that a low-glycemic diet may overcome the body's natural tendency to slow metabolism and turn on hunger cues to ''make up'' the missing calories. ''Our data suggest that the type of calories consumed -- independent of the amount -- can alter metabolic rate.''

New data validate the low-glycemic diet

August 26, 2004

A carefully controlled animal study provides clear evidence that a low-glycemic-index diet -- one whose carbohydrates are low in sugar or release sugar slowly -- can lead to weight loss, reduced body fat, and reduction in risk factors for diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Many studies, including small studies in humans, have suggested that low-GI diets are beneficial, but due to study design, the observed benefits could have come from other aspects of the subjects' diets, such as fiber or overall caloric intake. For this reason, no major health agency or professional association references glycemic index in their dietary guidelines