A Reversal on Carbs

Carb article Fat was once the devil. Now more nutritionists are pointing accusingly at sugar and refined grains.

By Marni Jameson, Special to the Los Angeles Times

December 20, 2010

Most people can count calories. Many have a clue about where fat lurks in their diets. However, fewer give carbohydrates much thought, or know why they should.

But a growing number of top nutritional scientists blame excessive carbohydrates — not fat — for America's ills. They say cutting carbohydrates is the key to reversing obesity, heart disease, Type 2 diabetes and hypertension.

"Fat is not the problem," says Dr. Walter Willett, chairman of the department of nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health. "If Americans could eliminate sugary beverages, potatoes, white bread, pasta, white rice and sugary snacks, we would wipe out almost all the problems we have with weight and diabetes and other metabolic diseases."

It's a confusing message. For years we've been fed the line that eating fat would make us fat and lead to chronic illnesses. "Dietary fat used to be public enemy No. 1," says Dr. Edward Saltzman, associate professor of nutrition and medicine at Tufts University. "Now a growing and convincing body of science is pointing the finger at carbs, especially those containing refined flour and sugar."

Americans, on average, eat 250 to 300 grams of carbs a day, accounting for about 55% of their caloric intake. The most conservative recommendations say they should eat half that amount. Consumption of carbohydrates has increased over the years with the help of a 30-year-old, government-mandated message to cut fat.

And the nation's levels of obesity, Type 2 diabetes and heart disease have risen. "The country's big low-fat message backfired," says Dr. Frank Hu, professor of nutrition and epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health. "The overemphasis on reducing fat caused the consumption of carbohydrates and sugar in our diets to soar. That shift may be linked to the biggest health problems in America today."

To understand what's behind the upheaval takes some basic understanding of food and metabolism.

All carbohydrates (a category including sugars) convert to sugar in the blood, and the more refined the carbs are, the quicker the conversion goes. When you eat a glazed doughnut or a serving of mashed potatoes, it turns into blood sugar very quickly. To manage the blood sugar, the pancreas produces insulin, which moves sugar into cells, where it's stored as fuel in the form of glycogen.

If you have a perfectly healthy metabolism, the system works beautifully, says Dr. Stephen Phinney, a nutritional biochemist and an emeritus professor of UC Davis who has studied carbohydrates for 30 years. "However, over time, as our bodies get tired of processing high loads of carbs, which evolution didn't prepare us for … how the body responds to insulin can change," he says.

When cells become more resistant to those insulin instructions, the pancreas needs to make more insulin to push the same amount of glucose into cells. As people become insulin resistant, carbs become a bigger challenge for the body. When the pancreas gets exhausted and can't produce enough insulin to keep up with the glucose in the blood, diabetes develops.

The first sign of insulin resistance is a condition called metabolic syndrome — a red flag that diabetes, and possibly heart disease, is just around the corner. People are said to have the syndrome when they have three or more of the following: high blood triglycerides (more than 150 mg); high blood pressure (over 135/85); central obesity (a waist circumference in men of more than 40 inches and in women, more than 35 inches); low HDL cholesterol (under 40 in men, under 50 in women); or elevated fasting glucose.

About one-fourth of adults has three or more of these symptoms.

"Put these people on a low-carb diet and they'll not only lose weight, which always helps these conditions, but their blood levels will improve," Phinney says. In a 12-week study published in 2008, Phinney and his colleagues put 40 overweight or obese men and women with metabolic syndrome on a 1,500-calorie diet. Half went on a low-fat, high-carb diet. The others went on a low-carb, high-fat diet. The low-fat group consumed 12 grams of saturated fat a day out of a total of 40 grams of fat, while the low-carb group ate 36 grams of saturated fat a day — three times more — out of a total of 100 grams of fat.

Despite all the extra saturated fat the low-carb group was getting, at the end of the 12 weeks, levels of triglycerides (which are risk factors for heart disease) had dropped by 50% in this group. Levels of good HDL cholesterol increased by 15%.

In the low-fat, high-carb group, triglycerides dropped only 20% and there was no change in HDL.

The take-home message from this study and others like it is that — contrary to what many expect — dietary fat intake is not directly related to blood fat. Rather, the amount of carbohydrates in the diet appears to be a potent contributor.

"The good news," adds Willett, "is that based on what we know, almost everyone can avoid Type 2 diabetes. Avoiding unhealthy carbohydrates is an important part of that solution." For those who are newly diagnosed, he adds, a low-carb diet can take the load off the pancreas before it gets too damaged and improve the condition — reducing or averting the need for insulin or other diabetes meds.

Americans can also blame high-carb diets for why the population has gotten fatter over the last 30 years, says Phinney, who is co-author of "The New Atkins for a New You" (Simon & Schuster, 2010).

"Carbohydrates are a metabolic bully," Phinney says. "They cut in front of fat as a fuel source and insist on being burned first. What isn't burned gets stored as fat, and doesn't come out of storage as long as carbs are available. And in the average American diet, they always are."

Here's how Phinney explains it: When you cut carbs, your body first uses available glycogen as fuel. When that's gone, the body turns to fat and the pancreas gets a break. Blood sugar stabilizes, insulin levels drop, fat burns. That's why the diet works for diabetics and for weight loss.

When the body switches to burning fat instead of glycogen, it goes into a process called nutritional ketosis. If a person eats 50 or fewer grams of carbs, his body will go there, Phinney says. (Nutritional ketosis isn't to be confused with ketoacidosis, a dangerous condition that can occur in diabetics.)

Beyond the fat-burning effects of ketosis, people lose weight on low-carb diets because fat and protein increase satisfaction and reduce appetite. On the flip side, simple carbs cause an insulin surge, which triggers a blood sugar drop, which makes you hungry again.

"At my obesity clinic, my default diet for treating obesity, Type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome is a low-carb diet," says Dr. Eric Westman, director of the Lifestyle Medicine Clinic at Duke University Medical Center, and co-author of the new Atkins book. "If you take carbohydrates away, all these things get better."

Though the movement to cap carbs is growing, not all nutritional scientists have fully embraced it. Dr. Ronald Krauss, senior scientist at Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute and founder and past chair of the American Heart Assn.'s Council on Nutrition, Physical Activity and Metabolism, says that while he fundamentally agrees with those advocating fewer dietary carbs, he doesn't like to demonize one food group.

That said, he adds, those who eat too many calories tend to overconsume carbohydrates, particularly refined carbohydrates and sugars. "It can be extremely valuable to limit carbohydrate intake and substitute protein and fat. I am glad to see so many people in the medical community getting on board. But in general I don't recommend extreme dietary measures for promoting health."

Joanne Slavin, professor of nutrition at the University of Minnesota and a member of the advisory committee for the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, is less inclined to support the movement. The committee, she says, "looked at carbohydrates and health outcomes and did not find a relationship between carbohydrate intake and increased disease risk."

Most Americans need to reduce calories and increase activity, Slavin adds. Cutting down on carbs as a calorie source is a good strategy, "but making a hit list of carbohydrate-containing foods is shortsighted and doomed to fail, similar to the low-fat rules that started in the 1980s."

As nutrition scientists try to find the ideal for the future, others look to history and evolution for answers. One way to put our diet in perspective is to imagine the face of a clock with 24 hours on it. Each hour represents 100,000 years that humans have been on the Earth.

On this clock, the advent of agriculture and refined grains would have appeared at about 11:54 p.m. (23 hours and 54 minutes into the day). Before that, humans were hunters and gatherers, eating animals and plants off the land. Agriculture allowed for the mass production of crops such as wheat and corn, and refineries transformed whole grains into refined flour and created processed sugar.

Some, like Phinney, would argue that we haven't evolved to adapt to a diet of refined foods and mass agriculture — and that maybe we shouldn't try.

Click here for full article

http://www.latimes.com/health/la-he-carbs-20101220,0,5893431,full.story

1 thought on “A Reversal on Carbs”

  1. Great post! Never knew that carb is the real problem. I honestly do not know if I can give up bread, pasta or white rice. Let me try a low-carb diet and let’s see what happens. Thanks a lot!

Leave a Comment

GETTING STARTED IS EASY!

Simply fill out the form below and then schedule Your FREE No-Sweat intro Consultation on the next page.

Shortly after we will be in touch with you to confirm your intro session.

We are excited to meet you!

ARE YOU LOOKING TO DROP-IN?

Welcome to Coronado! We Would Love To Meet You. WARNING! Our Class Sizes Are Limited. Please reserve in advance if possible.

OUR DROP-IN RATES

30/day, 85/week, 125/2 weeks

We have t-shirts available for purchase

Reserve your class at the link below.

OUR Information:

Location:

160 C Ave, Coronado, CA 92118
WE'RE IN THE ALLEY RIGHT ACROSS BONEY'S MARKET​

PHONE:

GIVE US A CALL
(619)319-5992

Mitch Langenfeld

COACH

Mitch grew playing ice hockey, roller hockey and Lacrosse in Minnesota and South Florida. He joined the Navy after High School in 2007, where he has served as a Helicopter Aircrewman and Rescue Swimmer since. It was in the military that he was first introduced to CrossFit in 2009 and he was hooked. He later joined CrossFit Coronado in 2010 and finally after 13 years received his CrossFit Level 1 certificate in April of 2023 and began his coaching career. He enjoys spending time outdoors with his family, playing in various washed-up adult hockey leagues, and completing in local CrossFit competitions. His favorite WOD is anything heavy so he can beat all of the smaller faster athletes in the gym or Murph.
“Light weight, Baby!!!”
-Ronnie Coleman

CERTIFICATIONS

CrossFit Level 1

desiree Jacobi-Bobie

COACH

Desiree joined CrossFit Coronado during the pandemic when we were running classes from the car wash next door.  She quickly fell in love with CrossFit and is a wonderful addition to our coaching team.  Desiree helps run our youth programs.

CERTIFICATIONS

CrossFit Level I

MARGARET SAMPSON

COACH

Margaret spent the first part of her life in competitive sports, starting with swimming, soccer, and softball as a young child and water polo throughout middle & high school (where her number was retired). She spent her summers teaching swim lessons to kids of all ages, developing a love for teaching & coaching in the process. She started CrossFit in April of 2016 on the recommendation of a friend. The group environment, positive atmosphere, and athletic challenge hooked her immediately. With her love for CrossFit and passion for helping others find their strength, it was a natural progression to get her L1 and start coaching at CrossFit Amundson in Santa Cruz, CA under the mentorship of Greg Amundson. She moved to San Diego in October of 2020 and found her new home at CrossFit Coronado.

CERTIFICATIONS

CrossFit Level 2, CrossFit Weightlifting Level 1

MIKE MARRIOTT

COACH

Mike came to CrossFit Coronado after a 26-year career in the Marine Corps. Having made fitness a way of life during his time in the Marines, he was searching for a means to maintain an elite level of fitness after he retired from the Corps. Maintaining a regimen of elite fitness was an elusive goal for him until he stumbled upon the back alley garage that is home to CrossFit Coronado. As the 8th original member Mike was at CrossFit Coronado from its very start and adapted to the CrossFit protocol like a duck takes to water. Mike was a devoted and dedicated coach and friend.  Unfortunately he passed away in march, 2018 from pancreatic cancer.  His spirit will always be a part of CrossFit Coronado.  He helped to build and shape this gym into what it is today.  Strong Like Bull.  Semper Fi Sir.

CERTIFICATIONS

CrossFit Level I 

CrossFit Barbell

CrossFit Endurance

CrossFit Mobility

SHANNON CAMPOAMOR

COACH

Shannon’s love of exercise started with high school sports and continued through college. Her background includes over five years of cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation, her own at-home personal training company, and group fitness classes.  Shannon started CrossFit at CFC in 2011. As a new mom, she could no longer spend the hours required for marathon and triathlon training. She consistently attended the 6am CFC class for two and a half years, including through the entire pregnancy of baby #2. In 2014, the Navy moved the Campoamor’s to Japan and then to Italy. In Europe, Shannon took advantage of the global CrossFit community-making friends with fellow athletes all over the world. In 2019, the Navy moved the Campoamor’s back to Coronado, where they happily rejoined the CFC family.

CERTIFICATIONS

CrossFit Level 2

BS in Human Nutrition, Foods and Exercise from Virginia Tech

MS in Health and Exercise Science from Wake Forest University

SHANNON Hernandez

COACH

Shannon has been coaching CrossFit since 2012 when she earned her Level I certificate. soon after she earned her Level II and has since renewed. She went on to obtain her CrossFit weightlifting Level I and Level II certifications as well as the Catapult Weightlifting from Don McCauley. Shannon has been coaching with Crossfit Coronado since 2017. Shannon runs the Olympic Lifting program at Crossfit Coronado when it is offered. She’s competed in crossfit at a handful of local events and aspires to come last place at regionals one day.

Favorite movement is the Olympic Lift -Snatch & least favorite will always be running. Loves coaching at CrossFit Coronado because it’s a gym where everyone is welcome regardless of fitness level. You won’t find any clicks here, just some great people great community and coaches that are always working to be better each day.

Shannon’s go to saying ‘ I’ll quit tomorrow’.

CERTIFICATIONS

CrossFit Level 2 Trainer

CrossFit Weight Lifting Level 2

USAW Level 2

Don McCauley Catapult Weightlifting

Hannah Chickering

COACH

Hannah started CrossFit in 2016 and soon thereafter began coaching while a senior in high school. Throughout college and graduate school Hannah took a “sabbatical” from CrossFit and embarked on her rock climbing journey, climbing world class routes in places like Yosemite and Joshua Tree. Hannah coached a myriad of functional fitness courses at climbing gyms and led a children’s climbing camp during this time. After graduate school Hannah settled in San Diego and decided to start CrossFit again. After trying a few gyms she found CrossFit Coronado and didn’t look back! CrossFit Coronado reignited Hannah’s passion for functional fitness.

Hannah loves CrossFit Coronado and its practical approach to fitness, building resilience, and fostering a supportive community.

CERTIFICATIONS

CrossFit Level 1

KIMBERLY RUSSELL

Owner

Kimberly started doing CrossFit in 2010.  She quickly realized the awesome benefits of CrossFit and was eager to help Clint when they decided to take over as the owners.  She helps with our teen program and the behind the scenes work that needs to be done.  Kim works part time as an oncology nurse and is a full time to mom to their two little girls. Prior to that, she worked for the City of San Diego for over ten years teaching children of all ages and abilities how to swim and spent three years working as a substitute teacher for kids in grades K-12.  Kim took long-term sub positions teaching high school physical education and middle school science.  After seeing the lack of physical fitness with kids in the school systems, Kim wanted to help set up a teen program to give kids a positive physical outlet aside from school competitive sports.  After having kids and realizing how challenging it is to workout with little ones, she also created a program in the gym to offer childcare so that moms (and dads) can get their workouts in!  Email Kim

CERTIFICATIONS

CrossFit Level I  

CrossFit Kids

CrossFit Mobility

CrossFit Swimming

CrossFit Cycling

BS Human Biology from UCSD

BS Nursing from University of Oklahoma

CLINT RUSSELL, DPT

OWNER

Clint started as a customer with CrossFit Coronado in October 2008.  He became a trainer in August 2009, and the owner in August 2010.  He has been an athlete since he was young.  Starting with 7 years of gymnastics and martial arts, as well as high school football and track.  In college, he got into endurance running and swimming.  He was first introduced to CrossFit in the military.  A CrossFit athlete is one that is well rounded in all areas of fitness.   It was this, and the fact that there is absolutely no way to duplicate the results that CrossFit produces for the short amount of time the workouts require, that initially hooked Clint.  Clint has personally experienced improvement in every aspect of fitness, with much shorter workout times.  He competed in the SoCal Regionals in 2010 with a team and in 2011 and 2012 as an individual.  Clint thoroughly enjoys helping people reach their goals.  Clint recently completed a Doctorate in Physical Therapy from the university of Saint Augustine and is excited to integrate PT into the gym. His goal is to help professionalize the fitness industry and bring educated and safe training to everyone.  Clint enjoys working with everyone, especially people who need more individualized attention or modifications.  If you’re interested in CrossFit Coronado or personal training, email Clint.

CERTIFICATIONS

Doctorate in Physical Therapy

CrossFit Level I 

CrossFit Mobility

CrossFit Football

CrossFit Swimming

CrossFit Cycling

USA Weightlifting Level 1 Sports Performance Coach

BS Kinesiology from Texas A&M

CANCELLATION POLICY

All membership agreements require 30-days written notice to cancel your membership. This form will serve as your 30-days written cancellation notice. Note that if you have a scheduled renewal payment within 30-days of your invoice billing date, the payment will be processed as scheduled. Your membership will be canceled at the end of your final paid month. All payments are non-refundable. All grandfathered membership rates will also be forfeited and returning members will be subject to current rates.

MEMBERSHIP CANCELLATION REQUEST

Please fill out the form below and one of our team members will review your request. Warning. The submission of this form does not cancel your membership. We will review your request, then reach out to confirm.

HAVE QUESTIONS?

We Would Love To Meet You!

Simply fill out the form below
& one of our amazing
coaches will be in touch asap! We are excited to meet you!

OUR PRICING IS SIMPLE

We Want To Offer You
The PERFECT Membership For YouR NEEDS.

Simply fill out the form below
& one of our amazing coaches
will send you our current
membership information.