Luna wrote:

> In article >,
> Dana Carpender > wrote:
>
>
>>Shuurai wrote:
>>
>>>Dana Carpender wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>>Lord Hatred wrote:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> You seem to think this is an "Either/Or" argument.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>I am arguing with the various statements that Atkins (and, I assume, low
>>>>carbohydrate nutrition in general) is a "scam", and that people are
>>>>"idiots" to think it works.
>>>
>>>
>>>Not a scam - just an overreaction.
>>
>>Trust me, it was a big, big shock to discover that my body runs far
>>better on red meat than it ever did on brown rice. A strong reaction to
>>that sort of revelation, multiplied by millions, was inevitable.
>>
>>Dana
>>
>
> My take on the whole reason why low-carb works (and an explanation for
> why some cultures don't have an obesity epidemic, despite eating carbs)
> is that it is not that humans aren't adapted to carbs, it's that an
> overdose of any substance can cause an allergic reaction, and there is a
> connection between allergy and addiction. Rice, pasta, bread in
> moderate portions (like Italy, China, France)= usually no weight
> problem. Lots of HFC's, fruit juices, candy, twinkies, junkfood etc
> (Like America and Great Britain)= overdose of carbs and a potentially
> lifelong addiction to them.

Certainly I think that high doses of extremely concentrated carbohydrate
damages carbohydrate metabolism, and can set one up for a lifetime of
reacting badly to them. There was a rat study a few years back that
demonstrated that a high-sugar diet for young rats caused cellular level
changes favoring obesity, and that those changes were *heritable*, which
is damned scary.

Dana