Prologue A BRIEF HISTORY OF BANTING Flashcards
What effect does sugar consumption have on negroes and cattle in sugar-growing countries during harvest?
They grow remarkably stout while the cane is being gathered and the sugar extracted.
What was William Banting’s weight at age sixty-six?
Over two hundred pounds.
What physical difficulties did Banting experience due to his obesity?
He could not stoop to tie his shoe or attend to bodily functions without considerable pain and difficulty.
What type of diet did William Banting initially attempt to lose weight?
He cut back on calories.
Who was the aural surgeon that helped Banting with a dietary regimen?
William Harvey.
What was Claude Bernard’s contribution to Banting’s diet?
He reported that the liver secretes glucose, which accumulates excessively in diabetics.
What dietary regimen did Harvey prescribe to Banting?
A diet of meat and dairy with complete abstinence from sugars and starches.
What was the result of Banting’s dietary changes by early 1864?
He lost fifty pounds.
What was the title of Banting’s pamphlet published in 1863?
Letter on Corpulence, Addressed to the Public.
What term entered the English language as a verb meaning ‘to diet’?
‘Banting’.
What was The Lancet’s initial reaction to Banting’s diet?
They criticized it as old news and questioned its safety.
What did the editors of The Lancet eventually suggest regarding Banting’s diet?
To give it a fair trial.
What are the two pivotal reasons Banting’s diet is significant in the science of obesity?
- If it helps people lose weight safely and keep it off. 2. Understanding if sugary and starchy elements are the chief cause of undue corpulence.
List foods to be avoided according to Banting’s diet.
- Bread and everything made with flour
- Cereals, including breakfast cereals and milk puddings
- Potatoes and all other white root vegetables
- Foods containing much sugar
- All sweets
List foods that can be eaten freely on Banting’s diet.
- Meat, fish, birds
- All green vegetables
- Eggs, dried or fresh
- Cheese
- Fruit, if unsweetened or sweetened with saccharin, except bananas and grapes
What did Hilde Bruch state about meat in relation to dietary control of obesity?
Meat was not fat producing; innocent foodstuffs like bread and sweets lead to obesity.
What did James French note about the source of nourishment in obesity?
It is derived in part from fat ingested with food, but more from carbohydrates.
What was Hugo Rony’s finding regarding obese patients’ food preferences?
Forty-one out of fifty preferred starchy and sweet foods.
According to Sir Stanley Davidson and Reginald Passmore, why might obesity be more common among poor women?
Foods rich in fat and protein are more expensive than starchy foods.
In Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina, what dietary choice does Count Vronsky make for his horse race?
He abstains from starches and sweets.
What dietary weight does Vronsky need to maintain for the races?
One hundred and sixty pounds
What did Dr. Spock identify as a major factor in weight gain?
The amount of plain, starchy foods (cereals, breads, potatoes)
According to Davidson and Passmore, what should be reduced to combat obesity?
Foods rich in carbohydrate
What change in dietary recommendations did Jane Brody make regarding carbohydrates?
Recommended a diet rich in potatoes, rice, and spaghetti
What was the British committee’s stance on carbohydrate intake for weight control in 1983?
Previous advice to limit carbohydrates now runs counter to current thinking
What was the American Medical Association’s view on carbohydrate-restricted diets in 1973?
They labeled them as dangerous fads
What did Charlotte Young’s research on carbohydrate-restricted diets reveal?
Subjects lost weight by restricting only sugars and starches without hunger
What dietary shift occurred regarding fat and carbohydrates in the late 20th century?
Low-fat diets became the ideal treatment for weight loss
What does the diet-heart hypothesis propose?
Excessive consumption of fat raises cholesterol levels, causing heart disease
What has been the trend in Americans’ dietary fat intake since the 1960s?
Average fat intake has dropped from 45 percent to less than 35 percent
What evidence contradicts the effectiveness of low-fat diets in reducing heart disease?
The incidence of heart disease has not noticeably decreased
What has happened to obesity levels in the U.S. from the 1960s to 2004?
Surged to over 30 percent
What alternative hypothesis emerged regarding carbohydrates and weight gain?
Carbohydrates are the problem, not fat
What did William Harlan suggest about low-fat diets and portion sizes?
Foods lower in fat became higher in carbohydrates, leading to increased consumption
What are refined carbohydrates?
Carbohydrate-containing foods that have been machine-processed
What was the hypothesis regarding chronic diseases in isolated populations?
These diseases appeared only after exposure to Western foods, particularly refined carbohydrates
What did clinical trials show about the effect of fiber on chronic diseases?
Fiber has little or no effect on the incidence of any chronic disease
What physiological mechanisms have been elucidated regarding carbohydrates?
The effect of carbohydrates on blood sugar and insulin
What is the main hypothesis regarding dietary fat and chronic disease?
The belief that dietary fat, particularly saturated fat, causes heart disease.
What alternative hypothesis is presented in relation to chronic disease?
The effect of carbohydrates on blood sugar and insulin as a cause of chronic disease.
What does the book aim to critically examine?
What constitutes a healthy diet and what we should eat for a long and healthy life.
What metaphor is used to describe the fixation on cholesterol in heart disease research?
The drunk-in-the-streetlight metaphor.
What has been justified by expert reports since the 1970s?
The belief that saturated fat causes heart disease.
What is a major theme of the book regarding skepticism in research?
Skepticism is often ignored or attacked in the context of prevailing scientific theories.
According to Alfred North Whitehead, what is a danger of scientific specialization?
It confines researchers to fragments of evidence and may lead to incomplete theories.
What disciplines should researchers understand to fully grasp obesity?
- Clinical treatment of obesity in humans
- Body-weight regulation in animals
- Mammalian reproduction
- Endocrinology
- Metabolism
- Anthropology
- Exercise physiology
- Human psychology
What is the relationship between the complexity of mechanisms and the causes of obesity?
The assumption that complex mechanisms mean complex fundamental causes is often incorrect.
What does Occam’s razor suggest in scientific explanations?
Do not invoke a complicated hypothesis if a simple hypothesis suffices.
What are the three parts of the book?
- The Fat-Cholesterol Hypothesis
- The Carbohydrate Hypothesis
- Obesity and the Regulation of Weight
What is the focus of Part I of the book?
The history and evidence supporting the fat-cholesterol hypothesis.
What does Part II of the book discuss?
The history and science supporting the carbohydrate hypothesis of chronic disease.
What does Part III of the book address?
Competing hypotheses regarding the causes of obesity.
What is the author’s background?
A journalist with scientific training focusing on controversial science.
What fundamental requirement of good science does the author adhere to?
Relentless honesty in describing and interpreting research.
What is the significance of interviews conducted for this book?
They provide credibility and personal recollections related to key points.
What does the author seek to uncover regarding conventional wisdom?
The evidence supporting current beliefs about diet and health.
According to Claude Bernard, what is a risk of having excessive faith in theories?
It leads to distorted observations and neglect of important facts.
