Charlie Rose

Carl and Leslie  07/21/2008 10:15 PM Report

I think this needs to be discussed and debated because the truth is skewed by all those who are invested to sell us on their ideas. I like Taubes interest in challenging the system-it must be challenged. If accepted research is afraid to be challenged, what good is it? Moderation is a cop-out! It is a 'no-answer' and a refusal to commit to the truth. Let's here from patients who have challenged themselves with both ways of eating and living and see their results. Let's hear from Joel Fuhrman, Neil Barnhardt, as well as Lorin Cordain who advocates the paleo-diet.

magoo  01/13/2008 09:37 PM Report

I think Taubes is honest, but during this show, I think Ornish was right - it's easy to shoot bullets from the cheap seats, and just hold onto that one fact - Atkins published ZERO studies, which is much less than those Taubes criticizes.

I do not discount what Taubes is saying, but to me it was very powerful when Ornish showed the increased blood flow, which is the core issue with heart disease and not merely some indicator of disease but the real meat of the matter - and blood flow increased under Ornish's diet. That is very persuasive.

Taubes' rebuttal, that only one independent variable should be allowed to vary is technically correct but virtually impossible to achieve in a study that could get funding, unfortunately. Such is life. His verbiage seems more of that of a philosopher of science than an actual scientist.

Btw, Mary, that was one HELL of a post about your diabetic husband. Awesome. I wish I could hear more about it.

My wife is >40, and she lost 40lbs! I was so proud of her, and she lost it on a high carb diet (!) because she can't eat dairy and she is a vegetarian. Not much left. She also can't exercise due to a bad hip. Very strong willpower though, I'm very proud of her. So she is the antithesis of Atkins, I suppose.

Mary  12/17/2007 09:57 PM Report

Look, look, the Emperor is not WEARING any clothes!!!! How blind can human beings be to the truth. They go around repeating their self-serving mantra of "don't confuse me with the facts, my mind is made up!"

As someone who has lived on a controlled carbohydrate diet/lifestyle for the past 5 years, I can unequivocally say that this is the best thing that I ever did for myself. It used to be a constant battle to see if I could lose weight - and when I did, try as I might, it just seemed to creep back on. Five years ago I lost 40 pounds in about 5 months. I have kep it off for the entire 5 years - without a struggle, without hunger and with an increase energy level that I had forgotten existed.

My husband has had type 2 diabetes for 25 years. The first 20 years he did exactly what the doctors told him to do. He would take his medications faithfully, see his doctors regularly, watch what he ate. And for that he was rewarded with a weight gain of over 90 pounds, he could not walk 50 feet without tiring, was on 43 units of insulin a night, was depressed, angry, suffered with bouts of hypoglycemia, had neuropathy in both his feet that made him miserable.

I read Diabetes Solutions by Richard K. Bernstein, M.D. about 7 years ago. I could not believe my eyes. Dr. Bernstein is a type 1 diabetic and an engineer. He suffered like my husband while doing exactly what his doctors told him. However, being an engineer, he attacked the problem through the eyes of an engineer - employing logic,and trial and error. He determined that a low carbohydrate diet would enable him to keep his blood sugars at an acceptable level. He told his doctors. Even though his wife was a physician, his doctors didn't believe him - they told him he was not a doctor and didn't know what he was doing. So, at the age of 45 years old, Richard Bernstein went back to school and became a doctor. He is a practicing physcian today and is helping people to overcome their diabetes employing low carb eating with sensible medication and exercise.

When my husband finally decided to take responsibility for his disease, I came up with a program of low carb eating and exercise.

Within 2 months my husband gradually reduced his insulin levels until he was off of it completely. He has been off of insulin now for nearly 5 years. He continues to come off of medications as his health steadily improves year after year. He walks 2 miles every day at our recreation center. Best of all, his personality has returned. It is devastating to be married to a diabetic.

Carbohydrates are SUGAR! The sugar cartel in this country and around the world is huge. High Fructose Corn Syrup is killing people and the response is that Gary Taubes is providing a quick fix, that he is only an award winning scientific journalist but can't get in the ring with physcians. Gary Taubes is trying to save lives! He is trying to get doctors to pull their heads out of their rears and look at the light.

Oh, my husband's doctor can't believe the complete change in his condition. She said that he is her poster child for diabetics and that if she could get everyone to do what he's doing she would be a happy doctor - yeah and probably a doctor with a little less lucrative practice.

Read Gary Taubes book - really, really read it. Read Dr. Bernsteins Book. Educate yourself. Find out what happens to carbohydrates when they enter your system - simple or complex carbohydrates. You will be amazed to find out that insulin is the "fat storing hormone" Insulin delivers the glucose to the cells - when the cells can't or won't accept it, insulin delivers it to the fat cells - who are more than happy to accept it. Weight goes up, VLDL's go up, energy levels fall, diabetes happens and on and on.

I could write a book - I think I just did. I want to shout this message to the world. Carbohyrates are killing us!

Guy Fawkes  12/17/2007 08:21 PM Report

What I find more appalling is the ignorance of those who continue to advocate the official dogma about how low fat diets came to be enshrined despite numerous epidemiological and clinical studies since the beginning of the 20th century that showed the opposite results but were ignored. The result of all this pseudoscience has been the current obesity epidemic and escalating health care costs. Taube's book traces all this history in great detail, reviews a century's worth of medical literature and serves as a reminder of how science is ill served when researchers fail to adhere to the highest standards of the scientific method and instead let their hopes and prejudices cloud their judgement. Ad hominem attacks on Taube serve only to cloud the discussion, which is perhaps what low fat diet adherents want.

Mike Krpan  10/28/2007 06:58 PM Report

I can't see how someone could watch this discussion and side with Taubes. He was clearly outclassed. It was rhetoric vs science. Seems to me opposition to Taubes (which is substantial) is being treated as also mere rhetoric. Unfortunately, most people can't distinguish between the two. America's understanding of science is dismal. People will want to believe in Taubes' writings because they want to believe in a quick fix. Taubes (and others) are telling them what they want to hear. Want to lose weight? The bar is where it is. Its not coming down to you...you go to it.

Mike Krpan  10/28/2007 03:07 PM Report

Apalled by the ignorance demonstrated by Taubes writings. Keep in mind he makes a living doing such. Does he really care about or understand the ramifications about carelessly reporting the facts?

Neil   10/19/2007 08:38 PM Report

The American Heart Assn. is partly funded by the Beverage industry and it has influenced the message. The food and restaurant industy KNOWS! The AHA wants to target smoking first and physical inactivity first. Perfectly logical.

Neil   10/18/2007 07:36 PM Report

I have been reading Taubes book. I don't disagree with what his research but I do know there is more to the story. Sugar has or will surpass the relative risk of tobacco very soon. I have B.S. in Community Health Education andI have researching the obesity epidemic since Tom Friedan and Marion Nestle were on saying the problem was cheap food (calories). It gets far,far worse. NOVA recently aired a program called "The Ghost in the Genes". It was about epigenetics or the intervaction between our genes and our environment. I estimate without scientific improvements we will deal with this epidemic of obesity and it consequences for the next 150 years if we don't act now.

But guess what the White House has been stonewalling the science and funding. According to Taubes there are less than half a dozen studies into what many people think the leading cause of obesity is high fructose corn sryup. HFCS plays a role but America might never know the truth. That should be a crime but it isn't.

Jim  10/01/2007 03:43 PM Report

That's funny, Stan. I had the exact opposite reaction. Gary Taubes' new book, Good Calories, Bad Calories, is a fantastic and extremely well documented discussion of the issues discussed in this show and more.

Dusty  09/28/2007 03:19 PM Report

Interesting the junk science and misinformed dogma that continues to be presented as real science by organizations like the AHA. 5 years later, the science is mounting on the side of Taubes.

Stan  06/27/2007 05:43 AM Report

Basically three people from three schools of thought pitching their respective prescriptions for healthier eating. Howard and Ornish come away sounding more objective and less dogmatic than Taubes.