When researchers don't understand WHY something happened

(Bob M) #1

Here’s a paper where the researchers fed healthy volunteers either a diet high in saturated fat (Sat) or high in polyunsaturated fat (Poly).

Here’s a telling graph:

Fig1
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Here’s one of their conclusions (SI = insulin sensitivity, KD = ketogenic, though not as keto as most people here are):

“Our data demonstrate that short-term administration of a diet high in polyunsaturated fats induces a greater level of ketosis and improves SI without negatively affecting total or LDL cholesterol levels, compared with a traditional KD high in saturated fats.”

Woohoo! Everyone switch to eating more PUFAs!

What they never tried to ascertain is WHY they got the results they did. WHY does a high PUFA (or Poly) diet cause better “insulin sensitivity” than a high SFA (or Sat) diet?

Any ideas?

Here’s one:

PUFAs cause your fat cells to be insulin sensitive, meaning they take in more glucose and more insulin, thus increasing “insulin sensitivity”. In a bad way. Your blood glucose and insulin are lower because they are getting sucked into your fat cells. You’re getting fatter (or at least your fat cells are), even though your “insulin sensitivity” is better.

Meanwhile, SFAs cause your fat cells to be insulin resistant, meaning they take in less glucose and more insulin, thus decreasing “insulin sensitivity”. In a good way. Your blood glucose and insulin are higher because they are NOT getting sucked into your fat cells. You’re NOT getting fatter (or at least your fat cells are not), even though your “insulin sensitivity” is WORSE.

This is what happens when you a study and do not understand WHY something happened. You just look at an end result (which you think is “good”).

(Karen) #2

Well put!

(Bunny) #3

Not just the PUFA’s I see potato sticks, soy nuts, soy milk in that poly menu? (all have very very high resitant starch potential) That’s going skew the result with those glucose and ketone numbers? That is very suspicious, who ever put those menus together knew exactly what they where doing to get those results and has nothing to do with polyunsats or sats (if that were true then eating fish would be bad)? What hyperlipid is most likely talking about (below) is hydrogenated and heated (oxidized/rancid) polyunsaturated trans fats = PUFA’s?

“…PUFAs cause your fat cells to be insulin sensitive, meaning they take in more glucose and more insulin, thus increasing “insulin sensitivity”. In a bad way. Your blood glucose and insulin are lower because they are getting sucked into your fat cells. You’re getting fatter (or at least your fat cells are), even though your “insulin sensitivity” is better…” - hyperlipid

Vegan agendas at work!

(Running from stupidity) #4

Or, more likely, you’ve designed the study from the get-go to get you to the conclusion you have, amazingly, arrived at.