I am sure our science minded Forum members can destroy this “Study” --To find out, the team examined 30 randomized controlled trials involving nearly 2,500 participants who ate pasta instead of other carbohydrates in a healthy low-glycemic index diet.
http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/eats/eating-pasta-won-fat-study-article-1.3912493
Replacing other carbs with 1/2 cup of cooked pasta?
Who eats 1/2 cup of cooked pasta and calls that a serving? And what is it they were replacing with this tiny hint of pasta?
Don’t ya just love the picture they posted? Anybody notice the four olives down in the corner of the picture? That’s way closer to the actual volume of pasta that 1/2 cup would be, not the massive serving shown on that plate.
There are probably a lot of things that are not low carb that we could eat in tiny servings and still maintain ketosis. That doesn’t all of a sudden make them “good for us”. It just means they’re in tiny enough amounts that we might be able to get away with it.
The article doesn’t say anything about other factors in the study. It basically said, “pasta is good…just trust us.”
Exactly, Brian. “Participants of the clinical trials typically ate just over three servings of pasta a week instead of other carbohydrates. One serving equals about one-half cup of cooked pasta.”
So, a whole 1.5 cups of pasta a week. Well hell, that ain’t nuttin’… Sheesh! So at the most, this is making a mountain out of a molehill.
That people can lose a little bit of weight while eating 1.5 cups of pasta per week is no surprise at all. I think it’s due to an overall lessening of food intake versus their eating habits prior to the studies they were taking part in.
Not to mention what are the other carbs that they ditched for the pasta…and how much?
and they fully admit that the weight loss may have simply been due to the low-GI diet. from the newsweek article:
“The authors said that the overall weight loss was likely down to eating pasta alongside other low GI foods.”
and so much dis/misinformation:
"Nichola Ludlam-Raine, a qualified dietitian and spokesperson for the British Dietetic Association told Newsweek that gram for gram, carbohydrates are not fattening. "
“Carbohydrates actually provide only four calories per gram, which is the same as protein and is under half of what fat provides (nine calories per gram).”
Maybe this has something to do with it…
From the paper:
Competing interests All authors have completed the Unified Competing Interest form (available on request from the corresponding author) and declare: LC has worked as a clinical research coordinator at Glycaemic Index Laboratories, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. CWCK has received research support from the Advanced Food Materials Network, Agriculture and Agri-Foods Canada (AAFC), Almond Board of California, American Pistachio Growers, Barilla, California Strawberry Commission, Calorie Control Council, Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), Canola Council of Canada, International Nut and Dried Fruit Council, International Tree Nut Council Research and Education Foundation, Loblaw Brands Ltd, Pulse Canada, Saskatchewan Pulse Growers and Unilever. He has received in-kind research support from the Almond Board of California, California Walnut Council, American Peanut Council, Barilla, Unilever, Unico, Primo, Loblaw Companies, Quaker (Pepsico), Pristine Gourmet, Kellogg Canada, WhiteWave Foods. He has received travel support and/or honoraria from the American Peanut Council, American Pistachio Growers, Barilla, Bayer, California Walnut Commission, Canola Council of Canada, General Mills, International Tree Nut Council, Loblaw Brands Ltd, Nutrition Foundation of Italy, Oldways Preservation Trust, Orafti, Paramount Farms, Peanut Institute, Pulse Canada, Sabra Dipping Co., Saskatchewan Pulse Growers, Sun-Maid, Tate & Lyle, Unilever and White Wave Foods. He has served on the scientific advisory board for the International Tree Nut Council, McCormick Science Institute, Oldways Preservation Trust, Paramount Farms and Pulse Canada. He is a member of the International Carbohydrate Quality Consortium (ICQC), Executive Board Member of the Diabetes and Nutrition Study Group (DNSG) of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD), is on the Clinical Practice Guidelines Expert Committee for Nutrition Therapy of the EASD and is a Director of the Toronto 3D Knowledge Synthesis and Clinical Trials foundation. DJAJ has received research grants from Saskatchewan Pulse Growers, the Agricultural Bioproducts Innovation Program through the Pulse Research Network, the Advanced Foods and Material Network, Loblaw Companies Ltd., Unilever, Barilla, the Almond Board of California, Agriculture and Agri-food Canada, Pulse Canada, Kellogg’s Company, Canada, Quaker Oats, Canada, Procter & Gamble Technical Centre Ltd., Bayer Consumer Care, Springfield, NJ, Pepsi/Quaker, International Nut & Dried Fruit (INC), Soy Foods Association of North America, the Coca-Cola Company (investigator initiated, unrestricted grant), Solae, Haine Celestial, the Sanitarium Company, Orafti, the International Tree Nut Council Nutrition Research and Education Foundation, the Peanut Institute, the Canola and Flax Councils of Canada, the Calorie Control Council (CCC), the CIHR, the Canada Foundation for Innovation and the Ontario Research Fund. He has received in-kind supplies for trial as a research support from the Almond Board of California, Walnut Council of California, American Peanut Council, Barilla, Unilever, Unico, Primo, Loblaw Companies, Quaker (Pepsico), Kellogg Canada, and WhiteWave Foods. He has been on the speaker’s panel, served on the scientific advisory board and/or received travel support and/or honoraria from the Almond Board of California, Canadian Agriculture Policy Institute, Loblaw Companies Ltd, the Griffin Hospital (for the development of the NuVal scoring system, the Coca-Cola Company, EPICURE, Danone, Diet Quality Photo Navigation (DQPN), Better Therapeutics (FareWell), Verywell, True Health Initiative, Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), Saskatchewan Pulse Growers, Sanitarium Company, Orafti, the Almond Board of California, the American Peanut Council, the International Tree Nut Council Nutrition Research and Education Foundation, the Peanut Institute, Herbalife International, Pacific Health Laboratories, Nutritional Fundamental for Health, Barilla, Metagenics, Bayer Consumer Care, Unilever Canada and Netherlands, Solae, Kellogg, Quaker Oats, Procter & Gamble, the Coca-Cola Company, the Griffin Hospital, Abbott Laboratories, the Canola Council of Canada, Dean Foods, the California Strawberry Commission, Haine Celestial, PepsiCo, the Alpro Foundation, Pioneer Hi-Bred International, DuPont Nutrition and Health, Spherix Consulting and WhiteWave Foods, the Advanced Foods and Material Network, the Canola and Flax Councils of Canada, the Nutritional Fundamentals for Health, Agri-Culture and Agri-Food Canada, the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute, Pulse Canada, the Saskatchewan Pulse Growers, the Soy Foods Association of North America, the Nutrition Foundation of Italy (NFI), Nutra-Source Diagnostics, the McDougall Program, the Toronto Knowledge Translation Group (St. Michael’s Hospital), the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine, The Hospital for Sick Children, the Canadian Nutrition Society (CNS), the American Society of Nutrition (ASN), Arizona State University, Paolo Sorbini Foundation and the Institute of Nutrition, Metabolism and Diabetes. He received an honorarium from the United States Department of Agriculture to present the 2013 W.O. Atwater Memorial Lecture. He received the 2013 Award for Excellence in Research from the International Nut and Dried Fruit Council. He received funding and travel support from the Canadian Society of Endocrinology and Metabolism to produce mini cases for the Canadian Diabetes Association (CDA). He is a member of the International Carbohydrate Quality Consortium (ICQC). His wife, ALJ, is a director and partner of Glycemic Index Laboratories, Inc., and his sister received funding through a grant from the St. Michael’s Hospital Foundation to develop a cookbook for one of his studies. JLS has received research support from the Canadian Institutes of health Research (CIHR), Diabetes Canada, PSI Foundation, Banting and Best Diabetes Centre (BBDC), Canadian Nutrition Society (CNS), American Society for Nutrition (ASN), Calorie Control Council, INC International Nut and Dried Fruit Council Foundation, National Dried Fruit Trade Association, The Tate and Lyle Nutritional Research Fund at the University of Toronto, and The Glycemic Control and Cardiovascular Disease in Type 2 Diabetes Fund at the University of Toronto (a fund established by the Alberta Pulse Growers). He has received in-kind research support from the Almond Board of California, California Walnut Commission, American Peanut Council, Barilla, Unilever, Unico, Primo, Loblaw Companies, Quaker (Pepsico), Kellogg Canada, WhiteWave Foods. He has received travel support, speaker fees and/or honoraria from Diabetes Canada, Canadian Nutrition Society (CNS), Mott’s LLP, Dairy Farmers of Canada, Sprim Brasil, WhiteWave Foods, Rippe Lifestyle, mdBriefcase, Alberta Milk, FoodMinds LLC, Memac Ogilvy & Mather LLC, PepsiCo, The Ginger Network LLC, International Sweeteners Association, Nestlé Nutrition Institute, Pulse Canada, Canadian Society for Endocrinology and Metabolism (CSEM), Barilla Centre for Food and Nutrition (BCFN) Foundation, and GI Foundation. He has ad hoc consulting arrangements with Winston & Strawn LLP, Perkins Coie LLP, and Tate & Lyle. He is a member of the European Fruit Juice Association Scientific Expert Panel. He is on the Clinical Practice Guidelines Expert Committees of Diabetes Canada, European Association for the study of Diabetes (EASD), Canadian Cardiovascular Society (CCS), and Canadian Obesity Network. He serves as an unpaid scientific advisor for the Food, Nutrition, and Safety Program (FNSP) and the Technical Committee on Carbohydrates of the International Life Science Institute (ILSI) North America. He is a member of the International Carbohydrate Quality Consortium (ICQC), Executive Board Member of the Diabetes and Nutrition Study Group (DNSG) of the EASD, and Director of the Toronto 3D Knowledge Synthesis and Clinical Trials foundation. His wife is an employee of Unilever Canada. No competing interests were declared by CRB, SBM and LAL.
wow…though most of those don’t have a huge interest in pasta. still even the “science” in this seems suspect. I suspect you could plug just about any carb into the very small serving max 3 times per week category and show the same results.
I find the amount of industry connections concerning. Is it better to have researchers selling their services to everyone able to pay instead of just in bed with a single industry? And what do you know about these friendly sounding organizations such as the International Carbohydrate Quality Consortium, Calorie Control Council or Oldways Preservation Trust?
So . . . how much does a half-cup of pasta weigh? When I made spaghetti it was usually half to all of a one-pound package. Try eating that much every night for a few weeks without gaining a ton of weight!!! 
Geez. Alot of folks will skim just that headline and what will stick “pasta is OK” but the problem as pointed out is the serving size.
Todd, the “has received support from” list is astounding and shows how many businesses have big interests in our foods.
Otherwise it’s individual like most dietary items. I for one cannot eat commercially made “pasta” It’s worse than commercial bread.
When I was eating it, I was making it myself. It’s really not that hard to make. Basically, it was flour, egg and a little salt.
The kicker is still all of the carbs in the flour. And other types of flour wouldn’t have the gluten in it to give it the kind of structure we’ve all become accustomed to in order to have that nice pasta texture.
So far, I have yet to eat low carb pasta. I’ve had alternative flour breads, cakes, and pie and pizza crusts. I’ve had zucchini noodles (zoodles) and spaghetti squash. But something that would make a good ravioli, not yet.
I’m still hopeful that a good substitute that looks and tastes and feels like the real thing will come along. But if I ever do decide to relapse a little and have a few ravioli, it’ll be with homemade pasta knowing it’ll be high carb. 
Maybe add vital gluten to a low carb flour? That would be my approach if I wanted to make bread.
There are a few recipes out there that try this. I made a few attempts but haven’t gotten one that I wanted to repeat. The last one, I couldn’t even bring myself to eat the last of. I’ve heard others have been more successful.
Thanks!
The same type of people proved that cigarettes don’t cause lung cancer. You can prove anything has a correlation.
Insulin Index of Pasta and some common Foods 
Mean average glucose, insulin and satiety scores 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insulin_index
I was born in Italy and my grand parents and mother were raised on pasta. They were not fat. BUTTTTTT, they did not eat anything like what we eat here. My grandfather ate a small amount every day with 1/2 red onion that soaked in homemade vinegar. Sauce was simple, tomato, wine butter, salt and garlic or garlic with olive oil not the crap in this country. Dinner was left overs, sardines, hard cheese, salame and always was a light meal. The day was filled with manual labor, no TV. Maybe 1200 cal a day. Sunday noon was a large mixed meal of veggies, pasta and meat. There was no processed food and water or wine. No soda. Diner was snacking on the left overs. Here a plate of pasta is equivalent to a box of uncooked pasts plus lots of bread, cream sauces and of course a heafty desert. Eating pasta as staple would come with a lifestyle change. Higher carb, lower protein and fat, no junk food. But still the long term effects (20 yrs) might indicate it was a bad choice. In this country food is not used to keep us nourished, it is for pleasure, passing time, entertainment and as a result we eat to much and to often and to many bad foods to go along with the main course. In Italy it was one maybe two items ion a plate not 5 courses. Anyhow this is my experience and opinion