Medical science has since long believed that a diet low in fat can significantly help in preventing and controlling heart disease, weight loss, and managing diabetes. New studies have found it otherwise.

How The Low-Fat Diet Made Americans Obese

Low fat diets contribute to weight gain, as people on low fat diets tend to cover up their dietary requirements by eating food that directly or indirectly contributes to fat intake. It must be kept in mind that even a protein rich diet contributes to intake of fat.

During the 1980's, low diet plans was a fad with everyone including it as a part of their health programs. However, the consequences about such diet plan came to fore much afterwards. The reason behind the failure of such plans is now known.

Food manufacturers removed fat from the food products and substituted it with sweeteners and sugars to provide satiety and taste. These substitutes often had the same amount of calories as fat (sometimes even more). People who took to eating such products started consuming more calories resulting in weight gain and obesity. Obese persons are more susceptible to develop diabetes mellitus.

The secret insulin connection with fat

Insulin regulates rise in blood sugar by converting excess blood sugar in blood to fat (called triglycerides) in liver. Excess calories due to low fat diets thus results in accumulation of fat around the belly. This was another way in which low fat diets contributed to weight gain.

The fat stored in the body is usually used to meet the metabolic requirements of the body between meals. However, high level of insulin does not allows body fat to be converted into energy. Low fat meal contributing to sugar rich content make your blood sugar remain high for a longer period thus resulting in more insulin production. Excess insulin in body (hyperinsulinemia) does not allow your metabolism to use the body fats. So the fat keeps on accumulating.

The vicious cycle of hunger and weight gain

Weight gain can often become a vicious circle. As mentioned, high level of insulin locks the fats (including essential fatty acids) in cells. Body organs, which require essential fatty acids for growth and development, crave for nutrition. The craving is satisfied (only temporarily) by eating more (usually carbohydrates) that contribute to higher blood sugar and hence more insulin. Your craving leads you to consume more carbohydrate rich food, which makes it more difficult for fatty acids to get unlocked thus making your body crave even more.

Dietary fat is the solution – not the problem

Foods rich in fat help you satiate yourself without raising body's insulin level. This is helpful for diabetics as well as those who want to lose weight. This may sound contrary to established beliefs but is a Physiological fact.

Before low fat diets became a fad in America, doctors and dieticians used to prescribe high-fat/low-carbohydrates diets. The diet worked perfectly well for weight loss programs. For diabetics, this diet was the only way for sustenance.

An essential feature of high-fat diets especially beneficial for diabetes mellitus is that it does not triggers insulin response in the body. It also helps in weight loss as less insulin means that stored body fats get unlocked to provide for the nutrition. This is observed during fasting, when the body uses fat stored in the body for essential metabolic activities.
You need not have to undergo fasting to control Type 2 diabetes or shed weight. You can manage it by avoiding refined carbohydrate rich food such as white potatoes, plus pasta, white flour baked (muffins, bagels, chips, crackers, and bread), sodas and fruit juice, sugar and sweets. It will also help your pancreases get much needed rest and become healthy again.

Dietary fat heals Diabetes mellitus

How The Low-Fat Diet Made Americans Obese

The secret insulin connection with fat

The vicious cycle of hunger and weight gain

Dietary fat is the solution – not the problem

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